Senate Approves Constitutional Amendment Bill for Establishment of State Police in Nigeria

The Nigerian Senate has passed a landmark constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish State Police Services across the federation, a move widely regarded as one of the most significant security reforms since the return to democratic governance in 1999.

The bill, which proposes an amendment to the 1999 Constitution, aims to create a decentralized policing structure that will allow individual states to establish and manage their own police services alongside the existing federal policing system.

Under the proposed arrangement, Nigeria will operate a dual policing framework consisting of a Federal Police Service and State Police Services, replacing the current structure in which policing powers are exclusively vested in the Nigeria Police Force.

The bill was sponsored and presented by the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, and received overwhelming support from lawmakers, securing the constitutionally required two-thirds majority needed for constitutional amendments.

According to the provisions of the bill, state governors will be empowered to appoint Commissioners of Police for their respective states. However, such appointments will be subject to confirmation by the State Houses of Assembly to ensure legislative oversight and accountability.

The proposed legislation also outlines the powers, responsibilities, and operational framework for state police formations, with the aim of improving local security responses, intelligence gathering, and crime prevention efforts.

For several years, advocates of state policing have argued that Nigeria’s centralized policing structure has become inadequate in addressing the country’s diverse security challenges, including banditry, kidnapping, communal conflicts, terrorism, and other forms of criminal activities across various regions.

Supporters of the bill believe that state police will bring law enforcement closer to the people, enable faster responses to security threats, and allow states to develop security strategies tailored to their peculiar challenges.

However, concerns have consistently been raised about the possibility of political interference and the potential misuse of state police by governors against political opponents, activists, journalists, and dissenting voices.

To address these concerns, lawmakers incorporated several constitutional safeguards aimed at protecting civil liberties and democratic rights. The bill specifically provides measures intended to prevent the use of state police formations for political intimidation, harassment, or suppression of opposition voices.

The proposed safeguards seek to guarantee the protection of fundamental rights, press freedom, political participation, and lawful dissent, while ensuring that law enforcement agencies remain professional and accountable.

The constitutional amendment will still require approval by at least two-thirds of the State Houses of Assembly before it can be transmitted to the President for assent and become part of the Constitution.

If eventually signed into law, the establishment of state police is expected to usher in a new era of security administration in Nigeria, fundamentally changing the country’s policing architecture and granting states greater responsibility in maintaining law and order within their territories.