Nigeria’s Senate has passed a landmark constitutional amendment bill to establish state police services, advancing one of the country’s most significant governance and security reforms in decades. Lawmakers say the proposed framework includes multiple safeguards designed to prevent state governors from misusing local police forces for political or personal interests.
The bill, which seeks to decentralise Nigeria’s policing system, was approved on Wednesday after securing the constitutionally required support of more than two-thirds of senators. The legislation now awaits consideration by the House of Representatives, approval by a majority of state legislatures, and presidential assent before it can become law.
Leading debate on the proposal, Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, said the reforms are intended to improve security responses at the subnational level while preserving federal oversight and constitutional protections.
Under the proposed framework, Nigeria’s existing federal police force would retain responsibility for national security matters, including counterterrorism operations, cybercrime, organised crime, border security, arms trafficking and interstate criminal activities. State police services, meanwhile, would focus on enforcing state laws, maintaining public order, preventing crime and protecting lives and property within their jurisdictions.
To address longstanding concerns that governors could use state police to intimidate political opponents, journalists, activists or critics, the bill introduces explicit constitutional restrictions. State police commissioners would be prohibited from arresting, detaining, investigating or deploying force against individuals, political parties or groups solely for criticising a government, except where actions are carried out in accordance with the law.
The legislation also limits the circumstances under which state police can be directed by governors. According to the Senate, governors may only issue lawful written directives on matters of public safety and public order, while operational decisions must remain subject to constitutional and legal safeguards.
A key feature of the proposal is a federal intervention mechanism designed to prevent security breakdowns or abuses at the state level. Federal authorities would be permitted to intervene only under specific conditions, including a collapse of public order, failure of a state police service to function effectively, serious violations of fundamental rights, documented electoral intimidation, or threats to national security.
Any such intervention would require written authorisation from the President, be limited in duration and scope, remain subject to Senate oversight, and be open to judicial review.
Supporters of the reform argue that Nigeria’s highly centralised policing structure has struggled to respond effectively to growing security challenges, including terrorism, kidnapping, banditry and communal violence across Africa’s most populous nation. They contend that locally controlled police services could improve intelligence gathering, community engagement and rapid response capabilities.
Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who previously opposed state police, said worsening security conditions had convinced him that decentralised policing was now necessary. Former Sokoto State Governor and Senator Aminu Tambuwal also backed the proposal, describing state policing as a longstanding constitutional reform whose time had come.
The passage of the bill marks a major milestone in Nigeria’s decades-long debate over restructuring its security architecture. If ultimately enacted, the reform would create a dual policing system in which federal and state police forces operate concurrently, potentially reshaping governance, security management and public-sector accountability across the country.
For investors and business stakeholders, the success of the reform will be closely watched as improved security and stronger local law enforcement are widely regarded as critical factors in enhancing economic activity, protecting infrastructure and supporting investment across Nigeria’s regions.
