…Pledges completion by year’s end
The 10th Senate has pledged to complete amendments to the 1999 Constitution to enable the creation of state police before the end of 2026, setting the stage for what could become one of Nigeria’s most far-reaching security reforms since the return to democratic rule.
Senate spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, disclosed that lawmakers would immediately resume work on the constitutional review once plenary reconvenes next week. He assured Nigerians that the amendment process would be fast-tracked and concluded well before political campaigns begin ahead of the next general elections.
The renewed legislative momentum follows a formal request by President Bola Tinubu, who urged the National Assembly to incorporate state policing into the constitution as part of broader efforts to tackle worsening insecurity.
Speaking during an interfaith breaking of the fast at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Tinubu appealed to senators to “start thinking how best to amend the constitution to incorporate state police for us to secure our country, take over our forests from marauders, and free our children from fear”.
In a separate address to members of the House of Representatives, the President stressed that any framework establishing state police must include strong safeguards against potential abuse by governors. He cautioned that the system must not become “a straight free fall for everybody”, insisting that checks and balances drawn from past governance experiences be embedded in the structure.
Adaramodu affirmed that the Senate is fully aligned with the President’s position, and is prepared to treat the amendment as a priority legislative matter. According to him, substantial groundwork had already been completed before attention shifted to the Electoral Amendment Bill and the 2026 Appropriation Act.
“We are going to commence the process immediately we resume next week,” he said. “Before electioneering starts, we would have done and dusted it and pass it on to Mr President for assent”.
The Senate spokesman revealed that extensive consultations had been conducted nationwide, including stakeholder engagements across Nigeria’s geo-political zones, as well as discussions with security experts, civil society groups, and political actors. Reports from these consultations have already been compiled by the committee overseeing constitutional review.
Describing state police as a “popular demand,” Adaramodu said the proposal enjoys broad-based support from the executive branch, state governors, and the National Assembly. The emerging consensus reflects growing concern that Nigeria’s centralised policing model faces manpower shortages and operational limitations.
Despite the political backing, key socio-political organisations have urged caution.
The Miyetti-Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), led by its National President Baba Ngelzarma, expressed conditional support for the initiative. He acknowledged the acute shortage of security personnel nationwide and argued that decentralising policing could enhance crime response capacity.
However, Ngelzarma warned that recruitment into state police formations must reflect ethnic and religious diversity within each state. Failure to ensure balanced representation, he said, could aggravate existing tensions.
He also cautioned that governors might deploy state police against political opponents if constitutional oversight provisions are weak. To mitigate this risk, he recommended that the Federal Government retain regulatory authority and that the National Assembly establish supervisory mechanisms, including penalties for abuse.
Similarly, the pan-Yoruba socio-political group Afenifere endorsed the concept while stressing the necessity of legal restraints. Its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, argued that many crimes occur at the local level and are more effectively addressed through community-driven security structures.
Nonetheless, Ajayi insisted that citizens must have legal avenues to challenge any misuse of state police authority, urging lawmakers to embed judicial review mechanisms within the amendment.
Within political circles, discussions have turned to the specific constitutional provisions requiring amendment. A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ayodele Arise, suggested that Section 214 of the Constitution — which currently centralises policing under federal authority — be amended to move policing to the Concurrent Legislative List. Such a move would allow both federal and state governments to maintain separate police structures, similar to arrangements in other federal systems.
Arise clarified that establishing state police would not eliminate the federal police but create parallel frameworks operating within clearly defined jurisdictions. He expressed confidence that, given the ruling party’s legislative majority and control of numerous state governments, the amendment could be achieved within months if political will remain consistent.
Currently, the Nigeria Police Force operates as a centrally-controlled institution under federal authority. Critics argue that this model limits responsiveness to localised threats and overstretches personnel across vast territories. Proponents say state police would improve intelligence gathering, enhance community trust, and reduce response times. Opponents fear political weaponisation, uneven capacity among states, and potential fragmentation of national security coordination.
For the amendment to succeed, it must secure the constitutionally required supermajority in both chambers of the National Assembly and approval by at least two-thirds of state Houses of Assembly.
As plenary resumes, lawmakers face the technical and political challenge of drafting provisions that decentralise policing while safeguarding democratic accountability.
