The National Assembly is set to forward the proposed State Police Bill to President Bola Tinubu for assent on Wednesday after 29 state Houses of Assembly approved the constitutional amendment.
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, announced the development during plenary on Wednesday, describing the endorsement as a major breakthrough in efforts to decentralise Nigeria’s policing system.
Kalu said the Clerk to the National Assembly would transmit the bill to the President later in the day, following the successful completion of the state-level legislative approval process.
“The State Police Bill has received the backing of 29 State Assemblies. Later today, the Clerk to the National Assembly will transmit it to the President for assent,” he said.
The approval by 29 out of the 36 state legislatures meets the constitutional threshold required for the passage of an amendment to the 1999 Constitution.
The proposed legislation seeks to allow state governments to establish and operate their own police formations, complementing the existing Nigeria Police Force controlled by the Federal Government.
The move is expected to fundamentally alter Nigeria’s security architecture by transferring part of the responsibility for policing to state governments.
Advocates of state police have long argued that the country's centralised policing arrangement is inadequate to address security threats across its vast territory, particularly as different regions face varying challenges.
They believe decentralising police operations would improve intelligence gathering, strengthen community-based security and enable law enforcement agencies to respond more quickly to emergencies.
Nigeria has continued to grapple with widespread insecurity, including kidnapping, banditry, terrorism and communal violence, intensifying calls for a review of the existing policing structure.
With the endorsement of the state assemblies secured, the transmission of the amendment to Tinubu represents a critical stage in the constitutional process.
The proposed reform, if completed in accordance with the constitutional requirements, would pave the way for states to establish their own police forces while the Federal Government maintains the national police structure.
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