President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has transmitted a Constitution Alteration Bill to the Senate seeking to establish state police across Nigeria, marking a major step toward restructuring the country’s security architecture.
The proposed legislation aims to amend relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution to provide a legal and institutional framework for the creation of state-controlled police forces across the federation.
According to the Presidency, the initiative is designed to decentralise policing and strengthen Nigeria’s ability to respond to rising security challenges such as banditry, kidnapping, terrorism, and other violent crimes.
The move follows President Tinubu’s earlier calls for constitutional reform, where he urged the National Assembly to fast-track amendments that would allow states to take greater responsibility for internal security management.
He has consistently argued that a centralised policing system is no longer sufficient for Nigeria’s current security realities, stressing that empowering states would improve speed, efficiency, and local intelligence gathering in crime prevention.
The proposal is now expected to undergo legislative debate and scrutiny in the Senate, where lawmakers will assess its implications for national unity, federalism, and internal security coordination.
VANGUARD