The House of Representatives has passed a landmark constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish state police across Nigeria, marking a major breakthrough in the country’s efforts to reform its security architecture and address growing security challenges.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The bill, titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Provide for the Establishment of State Police and for Related Matters (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026,” was approved during plenary on Thursday under the leadership of the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas.
The proposal received overwhelming support from lawmakers, with 289 members voting in favour of the amendment, while only one member abstained during the voting process.
The passage of the bill represents a significant milestone in the long-standing national conversation on decentralising policing and strengthening internal security across the federation. If eventually enacted, the constitutional amendment will empower state governments to establish, fund, and operate their own police services alongside existing federal security structures.
Supporters of the initiative argue that state police will enhance intelligence gathering, improve community policing, and enable quicker responses to local security threats. The proposal has been widely debated for years as part of broader calls for constitutional reforms and restructuring.
With the House’s approval secured, the bill will now proceed to the next stages of the constitutional amendment process, including consideration by other relevant legislative and constitutional bodies before it can become law.
The development is being viewed as one of the most consequential security reform efforts in Nigeria’s democratic history, with the potential to reshape policing and public safety across the country.