State police nears reality amid debates

Nigeria yesterday got closer to having state police as the House of Representatives passed the amendment bill seeking to establish it. This is just as the bill scaled second reading at the Senate. At the House, the bill, titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 […]

Nigeria yesterday got closer to having state police as the House of Representatives passed the amendment bill seeking to establish it. This is just as the bill scaled second reading at the Senate.

At the House, the bill, titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Provide for the Establishment of State Police and for Related Matters (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026,” was approved during consideration at the Committee of the Whole.

The bill scaled through after lawmakers voted overwhelmingly in its favour following the presentation of the report by the Deputy Speaker and chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Review, Benjamin Kalu.

A manual voting process conducted by the House showed that 289 lawmakers supported the bill which seeks to create a dual policing system comprising the Federal Police and State Police, as part of efforts to address the country’s security challenges.

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Under the proposal, Section 214 of the Constitution will be amended to formally establish both police formations. The National Assembly will be empowered to prescribe the structure, administration and powers of the Federal Police; while also setting minimum standards for the establishment and operation of state police services.

The bill provides that no state police formation shall commence operations unless it is established through a law passed by the relevant state house of assembly and certified as complying with national standards to be prescribed by the National Assembly.

It also provides that the Federal Police will continue to exercise policing powers in any state until its police service becomes fully operational.

To guard against abuse and undue interference, the bill limits federal intervention in the affairs of state police formations. Under the proposal, the Federal Police may only intervene where there is a breakdown of law and order, upon the request of a governor, or where a state police force becomes unable to function due to administrative, financial or operational challenges.

The amendment further proposes changes to the appointment and command structure of the police.

Under the new arrangement, the Inspector-General of Police will be appointed by the president on the advice of the Nigeria Police Council from among serving members of the Federal Police, subject to confirmation by the National Assembly.

Similarly, a State Commissioner of Police will be appointed by a governor on the advice of the Nigeria Police Council from among serving officers of the State Police, subject to confirmation by the respective State House of Assembly.

The proposal empowers governors to issue lawful directives to State Commissioners of Police on matters relating to public safety and maintenance of law and order. However, where a commissioner considers such directives unlawful or inconsistent with policing standards, the matter may be referred to the Nigeria Police Council for a final decision.

The bill also seeks to amend Section 84 of the Constitution by replacing references to the National Police Council and the Federal Police Service Commission with the Nigeria Police Council and the Police Service Commission.

The passage of the bill marks a major step in the ongoing constitutional review process and revives a long-standing national debate over the desirability of state policing as a solution to insecurity.

 

Bill scales second reading in Senate

The state police reform proposal also recorded progress at the Senate yesterday as a constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish state police across Nigeria scaled second reading.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio referred the bill to the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution for further legislative action.

Presenting the general principles of the bill,Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele said the proposed reform sought to modernise Nigeria’s security architecture by creating distinct federal and state policing structures, arguing that the current centralised system is overstretched amid growing security challenges.

He listed threats confronting the country as including terrorism, violent extremism, banditry, mass abductions, farmer-herder clashes, cultism, armed robbery, pipeline vandalism and emerging cyber-related crimes.

He said the bill also provides for State Police Service Commissions, federal oversight mechanisms, uniform policing standards, and clear procedures for the appointment and removal of senior officers, as part of safeguards against abuse.

According to him, the proposal is designed to strengthen national unity and improve efficiency in internal security management.

According to him, policing is most effective when it is locally grounded, noting that officers familiar with local languages, terrain and social structures are better positioned to gather intelligence and respond to threats.

Bamidele also said the establishment of state police would reduce pressure on the Nigeria Police Force, allowing it to focus on interstate crimes, terrorism, organised criminal networks, cybercrime and protection of critical national assets.

He cited several federal systems, including the United States, Canada, Australia and Germany, where sub-national policing structures operate alongside federal law enforcement agencies.

Senators, who contributed to the debate, supported the bill, describing it as a necessary step towards addressing Nigeria’s insecurity and the growing reliance on unregulated vigilante groups.

Senate Chief Whip, Tahir Monguno, said the proposal would provide a legal framework for regulating existing security arrangements at sub-national levels and improve accountability.

However, Senator Adamu Aliero expressed concerns about constitutional and operational challenges, warning that Nigeria’s limited police manpower might require broader reforms beyond structural changes.

He noted that with fewer than 400,000 police officers nationwide, the country might still face significant capacity gaps even if state police is established.

 

How the bill will become law

Following its passage by the House of Representatives, the proposed constitutional amendment on state police still has several hurdles to cross before it can become a law.

Under the amendment procedure prescribed by the 1999 Constitution, the bill must first secure the concurrence of the Senate.

If approved by the Senate, it would be transmitted to the 36 state houses of assembly for consideration. To proceed, it must receive the support of not less than two-thirds of the state legislatures, meaning that at least 24 states must vote in favour of the amendment.

Upon securing the required approval from the states, the bill will be returned to the National Assembly for transmission to the president for assent.

Unlike other legislation, constitutional amendment bills require broad consensus across the federation before they can take effect.

Should it eventually receive presidential assent, the amendment will pave the way for states interested in establishing their own police services to enact enabling laws through their respective houses of assembly.

However, even after the constitutional amendment comes into force, individual states will still be required to pass state police laws and meet national standards to be prescribed by the National Assembly before their police formations can commence operations.

The multi-stage process means that while yesterday’s approval by the House marks a significant milestone in the state police debate, the proposal is still some distance away from becoming operational across the country.

 

The journey so far 

The debate over the creation of state police in Nigeria dates back to the pre-independence and early post-independence eras when policing in the country was decentralised along regional lines.

Before the military takeover in 1966, Nigeria had operated a system in which regional governments maintained their own Native Authority Police alongside the central Nigeria Police Force. The arrangement allowed regional administrations to oversee local security, but it also generated controversy over alleged abuse of police powers for political purposes.

In the First Republic, concerns grew that regional police structures were being used to suppress opposition figures; a development that later became one of the arguments against decentralised policing.

Following the military coup of January 1966 and the subsequent consolidation of power under the federal military government, Nigeria moved towards a centralised policing system. Regional and Native Authority police structures were gradually dismantled, and policing was brought under the control of a single national authority.

This centralised model was later entrenched in Nigeria’s constitutional framework, including the 1999 Constitution, which, under Section 214, established a single Nigeria Police Force and prohibited the creation of any other police force for states or regions.

Despite this constitutional provision, calls for state police have resurfaced repeatedly during major political and constitutional reform processes. The debate gained renewed attention during the 2014 National Conference convened by former President Goodluck Jonathan, where delegates recommended the establishment of state police as part of broader restructuring proposals.

In the years that followed, rising insecurity across the country, including insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and communal clashes, further strengthened arguments in favour of decentralised policing.

State governors have consistently argued that while they are designated as chief security officers of their states, they lack operational control over security agencies.

The issue also gained momentum with the emergence of regional security outfits such as Amotekun in the South West, Ebubeagu in the South East among others, which were created to support conventional security agencies in addressing local threats.

The debate has now returned to the forefront under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with both the presidency and many state governors expressing support for constitutional amendments to allow states establish their own police formations. 

 

Experts raise concerns over funding, manpower, others

A security expert, Patrick Agbambu, has cautioned against expectations that the proposed state police system will provide an immediate solution to Nigeria’s security challenges, warning that the country may not yet be adequately prepared for its implementation.

Speaking to Daily Trust yesterday, Agbabu said the proposal raises fundamental concerns about funding, manpower, equipment and administrative capacity.

He said while decentralised policing might have long-term benefits, the country should first focus on addressing pressing security threats such as banditry, terrorism and insurgency.

“I don’t think it is a good thing for now. It is something that should have been gradually prepared for. There are issues of constitutional amendments, revenue allocation, manpower, equipment and the capacity of state governments to administer state police,” he said.

According to him, policing is an expensive venture that many states may struggle to sustain, even as some proponents point to economically stronger states as potential models.

“Which state in Nigeria can effectively fund a police force as we speak? Even in the United States, many states struggle with police funding. We need to consider the financial implications carefully,” he said.

Agbabu also expressed concerns over the possibility of political interference, noting that Nigeria’s democratic culture is still evolving and institutions remain vulnerable to abuse by influential individuals.

However, he said his major concern was not political manipulation but whether state governments possess the resources and capacity required to establish and maintain effective police formations.

He questioned whether state police would be sufficiently equipped to confront heavily armed criminal groups.

“Can state police handle banditry, terrorism and insurgency? To me, no. Even the current federal police face challenges in tackling these threats because of limitations in equipment and capacity,” he said.

He also queried how personnel for the proposed state police would be sourced, asking whether existing vigilante groups, hunters and regional security outfits would be absorbed or whether entirely new recruitment structures would be created.

He called for wider consultations before the legislation proceeds further, saying Nigerians and critical stakeholders should have been given greater opportunity to make inputs through public hearings and policy discussions.

A security analyst, Kabiru Adamu, told Daily Trust that Nigeria could end up multiplying its policing challenges if the proposed state police system is implemented without addressing the structural weaknesses of the existing police force.

Adamu said the constitutional amendment marked only the beginning of a long process and should not be seen as the immediate establishment of state police.

He said the lawmakers merely amended constitutional provisions that referred to a federal police structure; while several legislative and administrative steps remain before state policing could become operational.

“This is only the first logical step. There are still many stages that must be completed before state police becomes a reality,” he said.

He warned that the proposal carries significant security, legal, political and socio-economic risks that must be carefully examined before implementation.

Adamu urged the National Assembly to establish a small committee of risk management experts to identify and mitigate potential challenges associated with the reform.

“If what will happen is the recreation of the federal police at the 36 states, then instead of dealing with one policing problem, Nigeria may end up dealing with 37 policing problems,” he said.

He said issues of manpower, equipment, training and institutional capacity remain unresolved at the federal level and could be replicated across the states if adequate safeguards are not put in place.

The questioned whether the infrastructure required to train and equip state police personnel currently exists, noting that new recruits would likely depend on the same institutions and personnel that presently train officers of the Nigeria Police Force.

He also recalled that the federal government had previously constituted a committee on police reforms, stressing that many of the challenges identified by that body remain unresolved.

According to him, unless these concerns are addressed, the country risks reproducing existing policing deficiencies on a much larger scale.

Adamu said a comprehensive risk assessment would help lawmakers identify potential pitfalls and ensure that the proposed reform strengthens security rather than creating additional operational challenges.

A political analyst, Professor Saleh Dauda, acknowledged concerns that state police could be abused by political office holders, but argued that the proposed policing structure could form part of the solution to Nigeria’s growing insecurity challenges.

Speaking to Daily Trust, Dauda said fears over possible political manipulation of state police are legitimate, citing Nigeria’s historical experience with regional policing during the First Republic.

“There are genuine fears. State policing can be criminalised because Nigeria has a history of that. During the First Republic, the Native Authority Police under the control of regional governments was sometimes used against political opponents,” he said.

The professor noted that the abuse of state-controlled security structures in the past has contributed to the reservations expressed by some Nigerians over the proposal.

However, he argued that the country’s worsening security situation has made the search for alternative policing arrangements necessary, insisting that the current centralised police system is overstretched.

“To be very frank, times have changed and insecurity has become overwhelming. The centralised police force cannot do the job alone. We hope that those at the state level will use state police, if eventually created, to ensure peace and stability within their states and local governments,” he said.

Dauda expressed optimism that lessons from the country’s past experiences would help prevent a repeat of previous abuses, adding that state governments are themselves under increasing pressure to tackle insecurity within their jurisdictions.

“The fact that there is state police does not mean there will be no federal police. Both structures can coexist and cooperate in maintaining law and order, similar to what obtains in other federal systems,” he said.

Asked whether state police would solve Nigeria’s security challenges, Dauda said the initiative should be viewed as part of an ongoing search for solutions rather than a complete answer to the country’s security problems.

 

A timeline of leaders’ responses to state police

On January 5, 2022, former President Muhammadu Buhari ruled out state police as an option to address the country’s security challenges.

On April 22, 2024, former President Goodluck Jonathan described state police as the only solution to the security challenge facing the country.

On June 16, 2025, former Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun argued that the Nigerian Police Force should be strengthened and better funded instead of creating state police structures. He was sacked by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on February 23, 2026 and replaced by Tunji Disu.

On February 25, 2026, President Tinubu appealed to the leadership of the 10th Senate to amend the constitution to provide a legal framework for the establishment of state police to tackle insecurity nationwide.

On March 4, 2026,  IGP Tunji Disu inaugurated an eight-member committee to develop a framework for state police. On March 26, 2026, he submitted a framework for the establishment of state police to the Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, as part of efforts to decentralise policing in Nigeria.

On June 11, 2026-, the House of Representatives passed the state police bill which also scaled second reading at the Senate.