President Bola Tinubu has forwarded a Constitution Alteration Bill to the Senate aimed at establishing state police across Nigeria.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the development during Tuesday’s plenary, stating that the upper chamber will consider the bill on Wednesday.
Akpabio added that state assemblies have also committed to examining the legislation on the same day upon receipt.
The proposed amendment seeks to modify relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution to provide a legal framework for decentralising policing powers to the states.
The move aligns with Tinubu’s repeated calls for security sector reforms to enable states to better secure their territories amid rising threats.
In February, the president urged the National Assembly to amend the Constitution, describing state police as essential to combating terrorism, banditry and other security challenges.
During his Democracy Day address earlier this month, Tinubu reiterated his commitment to tackling insecurity, noting that over 13,000 terrorists had been neutralised in the past year and that related deaths had declined significantly.
The state police proposal has gained significant momentum, with both chambers of the National Assembly advancing processes to decentralise policing.
The Senate is expected to reconvene for an emergency plenary as lawmakers push forward one of the most substantial security reforms in Nigeria’s democratic era.
