•BILL: FG may suspend or take over a state police command from gov if…
•NASS votes on bill to create new security architecture this week after Tinubu’s plea
By Gift ChapiOdekina, Abuja
Nigeria’s long-awaited journey toward decentralised police has entered a decisive phase after President Bola Tinubu pleaded with the National Assembly to “begin work immediately” on establishing state police.
The plea has placed the spotlight firmly on the State Police Constitution Alteration Bill which proposes a sweeping reconfiguration of the country’s security architecture.
For decades, the argument for state police has oscillated between necessity and fear, necessity because the centralised Nigeria Police remains overstretched and ill-equipped to police 230 million people across complex terrains, and fear because of concerns that governors may misuse local police forces for political intimidation.
But with escalating insecurity worsening kidnapping rings, banditry, rural killings, violent crimes, highway attacks, and the inability of the federal police to respond swiftly the momentum has shifted. Tinubu’s plea signals what may be Nigeria’s most significant security reform since 1960.
Interestingly, the State Police Constitution Alteration Bill is among the 44 harmonised bills now ready for consideration and voting by the two chambers of the National Assembly.
Barring last-minute change of mind, the two chambers of the National Assembly (Senate and House of Representatives) will vote on the bills this week and if they are passed, they will go to the state Houses of Assembly where they are also required to be passed by at least two thirds of them before President Bola Tinubu will need to assent to become law.
The spokesman for the House of Representatives, Rep Akin Rotimi, on Thursday, said voting could not commence last week as planned because members requested additional time to study the bills and consult with their constituencies.
Many analysts are optimistic that the State Police Constitution Alteration Bill will become law given Tinubu and many state governors, among others’ disposition to the creation of state police amid insecurity tensions in the country.
Insecurity Tensions
From Boko Haram in the North-East to bandits in the North-West, farmer/herder clashes in the Middle Belt, IPOB militancy in the South-East, rising cult killings in the South-South, and kidnappers terrorizing South-West, Nigeria faces multiple, simultaneous threats.
Below is a breakdown of the State Police Constitution Alteration Bill before the National Assembly, the constitutional amendments it seeks, and what the move means for the country’s future.
Constitutional Amendment to Allow State Police
The bill seeks to amend Section 214(1) of the 1999 Constitution which prohibits the establishment of any other police force besides the NPF.
The proposed amendment states:
States may create and operate their own State Police Services with legal backing under state laws.
The Nigeria Police Force will continue as a Federal Police Service, handling national and interstate crimes.
This, if seen through, ends the long-held constitutional monopoly of the federal police.
• Establishment of State Police Commands
•Each state will create: A State Police Command
•Headed by a State Commissioner of Police, appointed through a regulated process
•With divisions, area commands, tactical units, and special squads
The force will operate within state jurisdiction only, except under approved joint operations.
Clear Jurisdictional Separation
To prevent operational conflict, the bill clearly differentiates responsibilities:
•Federal Police Responsibilities: Counter-terrorism; Border security: Cybercrime & interstate crime networks; National intelligence; Federal property and institutions; Insurgency and anti-banditry operations.
•State Police Responsibilities: Community policing; Neighbourhood patrols; Rapid response to local threats; Rural security operations; Local intelligence and early warning; Enforcement of state laws
This creates a dual policing structure similar to other federal systems.
State Police Service Commission
Each state must establish a State Police Service Commission which will:
•Recruit, promote, discipline, and retire officers; Ensure merit-based appointments; Set professional standards; Address complaints from citizens; Enforce accountability mechanisms
This commission functions like the federal Police Service Commission but exclusively for state police.
National Oversight and Safeguards
To address fears of political manipulation, the bill introduces an oversight structure:
•National Council on State Policing: Chaired by the President, and includes: All 36 governors, IG of Police, Chairmen of PSC, Police Trust Fund, Security Experts and Service Chiefs (as needed)
The Council will:
•Approve national policing standards; Oversee training guidelines; Audit state compliance; Intervene when governors abuse power; Prevent weaponisation of the force during elections
The Federal Government may suspend or take over a state police command if:
•There is evidence of human rights abuses
•The governor is politically interfering
•There is a breakdown of law and order
•The state police threatens national security
This is one of the strongest safeguards in the bill.
Appointment and Removal of State Commissioners of Police
The process is structured to limit political control:
•The governor nominates three candidates
•The State Assembly screens and approves one
•The candidate must also be cleared by the National Council on State Policing
- The governor cannot unilaterally remove the Commissioner
•Removal requires approval of the State Police Service Commission and State Assembly
This model limits the risk of governors turning state police into personal security outfits. Recruitment from Local Communities Recruitment will be based on:
•Local government origin
•Local residency
•Knowledge of local languages and customs
•Community endorsement in some cases
This ensures better: Intelligence gathering, Terrain familiarity, Community cooperation, Trust between police and residents
This provision directly responds to the challenges of banditry and rural insecurity.
Funding Structure
States must: Create a State Police Fund backed by law; Include policing in annual state budgets; Provide training schools, operational facilities, vehicles, weapons, welfare, pensions, and insurance
A federal–state partnership fund will support: Training, Emergency operations; Technology and equipment; States with weaker revenue bases
Human Rights and Accountability Measures
Each state police command must:
•Comply with federal human rights standards
•Establish an internal disciplinary body
•Submit annual reports to both the State Assembly and National Council
•Maintain body cameras & digital evidence systems (over time)
•Ensure transparency in arrests and detention
•Protect political opposition and civil society
This is designed to prevent a repeat of past abuses associated with local security outfits.
Conditions for Federal Intervention
The Federal Government may temporarily assume control of a state police command if:
•The governor uses the police to suppress political opponents
•The police are involved in ethnic bias
•Human rights violations increase
•The command fails in its duties
•The state is unable to fund or maintain operational discipline
•National security is threatened
What Lawmakers Say:
For the first time in years, members openly acknowledge that the Nigeria Police can no longer cope with the scale of insecurity.
However, some lawmakers worry about governors turning state police into political instruments, funding burdens, ethnic tensions
Rep. Benjamin Kalu (Deputy Speaker, APC-Abia)
Speaking at a legislative security retreat, Kalu declared: “Community-based policing is no longer an option, it is an absolute necessity. The centre can no longer hold a monopoly over security. State police is the direction Nigeria must go.”
He has since been leading consultations with governors and security chiefs on coordinating the constitutional amendment process.
Rep. Muktar Aliyu Betara (APC-Borno)
Betara, one of the most influential voices in the House, supports state police but warns against abuse.
His words: “My fear is simple: we must not create thirty-six new political police forces. If we get the safeguards right, state police will help us. If we don’t, it will worsen the crisis.”
His push is for strict federal standards on training, human rights compliance, and recruitment.
Rep. Kingsley Chinda (Minority Leader, PDP–Rivers)
Chinda is one of the strongest advocates of state police.
“Nobody should deceive themselves — Nigeria is already running state policing informally. Hunters, vigilantes, and local guards are doing what federal police cannot. The time has come to formalise what is already happening,” the lawmaker said.
He argued that legalising state police will professionalise local security structures currently operating without regulation.
Rep. Sada Soli (APC–Katsina)
Soli, from a state heavily affected by banditry, told journalists after plenary: “My people are dying every week. If we politicise this state police bill, history will judge us. We cannot keep pretending that Abuja can police 230 million people alone.”
He has pushed for massive federal investment in rural intelligence units to complement state commands.
Rep. Ahmed Jaha (APC–Borno)
A vocal lawmaker from a state devastated by insurgency, Jaha delivered one of the most passionate pleas on the floor of the House: “I have buried too many of my people. I have seen entire communities wiped out. Federal police cannot respond fast enough. We need state police yesterday, not tomorrow.”
Rep. Yakubu
Buba (APC Adamawa)
Buba, Chair of the House Committee on Police Affairs, is cautious but leaning in.
He said: “We need to decentralise, yes. But we must build capacity first. Most states today cannot even pay salaries consistently. How will they fund state police?”
He wants a gradual rollout, starting with financially stable states.
Rep. Victor Afam Ogene (Labour Party-Anambra)
Ogene emphasised the need for accountability: “State police will fail if we replicate the corruption of the federal police. We must embed accountability into the structure from day one.”
He is pushing for community oversight boards in each state command.
Rep. Aminu Suleiman (NNPP–Kano)
Suleiman, speaking outside the chamber, highlighted concerns in the North: “Our fear is not the idea of state police. Our fear is the misuse by politicians. But the insecurity in the North-West has reached a level where doing nothing is no longer an option.”
His stance reflects a shift among many Northern lawmakers who previously opposed the idea entirely.
Rep. Bamidele Salam
(PDP–Osun)
Salam summed up the desperation of many communities: “Villages in my constituency are contributing money to feed volunteers who guard them at night. That is not sustainable. We need a formal, constitutional structure.”
Tinubu’s Directive: Why Now?
Tinubu’s recent security briefing with the leadership of the National Assembly, service chiefs, and governors resulted in a decisive shift.
A senior official at the meeting said: “The security architecture must change. The federal police alone cannot secure Nigeria. Decentralised policing is no longer optional.”
The renewed push comes amid: A spike in kidnapping and ransom terrorism, Bandit attacks on highways and rural communities, Farmer–herder conflicts, Urban crime escalation, Intelligence gaps in local terrains, Over-reliance on vigilante systems with no constitutional backing
By directing immediate legislative action, the president has effectively revived a once politically divisive reform.
Reactions From Across Nigeria Governors
Most governors support the bill but want: Federal support for start-up costs, Clear lines on federal intervention, Adequate training standards
Civil Society
CSOs welcome the reform but warn: Safeguards against political abuses must be stronger, Human rights compliance must be enforced, Recruitment must be transparent
Security Experts
Experts say centralised policing has failed and decentralisation is long overdue.
What This Bill Means For Nigeria
If passed, the bill will:
- Put Nigeria on the path of restructuring the federal system
- Improve community-based security response
•Reduce pressure on federal police - Create thousands of jobs
•Strengthen local intelligence networks
•Reduce rural attacks and kidnappings
•Provide clearer accountability mechanisms
•Transform the security landscape fundamentally
Nigeria may have finally taken a step that has been debated for over 20 years.
Nigeria Weighs State Police
By Gift ChapiOdekina, Abuja
As the National Assembly votes on the State Police Constitution Alteration Bill this week following President Bola Tinubu’s plea, the national debate on decentralised policing has intensified.
Stakeholders across the political, security and civil society spectrum remain sharply divided over what state police could mean for Nigeria’s fragile security landscape.
While proponents argue that a decentralised system is the only realistic path to addressing Nigeria’s escalating insecurity, opponents warn that without strict safeguards, state police could deepen political abuse and exacerbate existing tensions.
The Case For
Supporters insist that Nigeria’s current centralised policing structure is outdated and incapable of responding to the country’s complex security threats.
Security experts say the creation of state police will bring law enforcement closer to communities, enabling faster response, better intelligence gathering and improved trust between citizens and security forces.
Advocates also point to the overstretched Nigeria Police which is battling insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, and rural violence across multiple regions. Decentralisation, they argue, will allow the federal police to focus on terrorism and interstate crime while state commands tackle neighbourhood and local threats.
Many governors and legislators believe decentralised policing could significantly reduce rural attacks, strengthen community policing and generate thousands of jobs for young people across the states.
Analysts further note that adopting state police aligns Nigeria with other federal systems like the United States, India and Germany, where layered policing structures are considered more efficient and responsive.
What Critics Say
However, critics warn that the potential benefits must be weighed against serious risks.
One of the strongest concerns is the fear that state governors could weaponise state police forces to intimidate political opponents, suppress dissent, or influence elections especially in states with tense political histories.
Funding is another major worry. Several states already struggle to meet basic obligations such as salary payments. Security specialists question how these states will finance a functional police force, including training, equipment, welfare and logistics.
There are also fears of ethnic bias and exclusion.
Opponents warn that state-controlled police could marginalise minority groups within states, fuelling resentment and potentially worsening local conflicts.
Analysts also caution that creating 36 different police forces may lead to fragmentation, weak coordination, and conflicting jurisdictions unless the federal government establishes strong oversight mechanisms.
Human rights groups have raised additional concerns about the possibility of corruption and abuses being replicated at the state level, especially if accountability structures are weak.
A Decisive Moment
As lawmakers vote, the debate remains evenly split. What is not in dispute, however, is that Nigeria’s current security situation has reached a breaking point. Whether state police becomes the long-awaited solution or introduces new challenges will depend on how carefully the law is crafted and how effectively the safeguards are enforced.
The coming weeks at the National As
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