Nigeria is moving closer to ending the Federal Government’s exclusive control of conventional policing, as 30 State Houses of Assembly have reportedly approved constitutional amendments paving the way for the establishment of state police.
The proposed reform has reached a critical stage, with the House of Representatives transmitting the State Police Bill to President Bola Tinubu for assent after securing the constitutionally required support from state legislatures.
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, announced the transmission during plenary on Wednesday, describing the development as a major breakthrough in efforts to decentralise the country’s policing structure.
The amendment seeks to empower state governments to establish and manage their own police services while retaining the Nigeria Police Force under federal control.
The development comes amid persistent concerns over the capacity of the centralised policing system to address Nigeria’s diverse security challenges, particularly threats that require local intelligence, rapid intervention and community-level responses.
Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, separately disclosed that 30 of the 36 state assemblies had approved the proposal, exceeding the constitutional threshold of 24 legislatures required for a constitutional amendment.
The six outstanding states are Kano, Oyo, Abia, Benue, Cross River and Niger.
Bamidele said the National Assembly had completed its part of the process and formally forwarded the proposed amendment to all 36 state legislatures for consideration.
The Clerk to the National Assembly had, on October 15, given the assemblies until November 15, 2026, to communicate their positions, allowing every state to formally register its support or opposition.
Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau, however, disclosed that Kano State had already dispatched its response, which was expected to reach the National Assembly.
Under the proposed arrangement, states would have greater responsibility for policing their territories, potentially strengthening intelligence gathering and enabling security responses tailored to local realities.
Supporters of the reform argue that a single national policing structure cannot adequately address the security peculiarities of all parts of a country as geographically and socially diverse as Nigeria.
However, the transition will also raise important questions about operational independence, funding, accountability and safeguards against the political misuse of state-controlled police institutions.
With the constitutional amendment now at the presidential assent stage, attention is shifting from whether Nigeria should adopt state policing to how the new security architecture will be structured, funded and regulated.
