President Bola Tinubu has forwarded a Constitution Alteration Bill to the Senate seeking the establishment of state police across the country.
The proposed legislation aims to amend relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution to provide a legal framework for the creation and operation of state police forces in the federation.
The move is in line with the President’s longstanding call for constitutional reforms that would enable state governments to play a more active role in securing their territories and addressing local security challenges.
In February, Tinubu urged the National Assembly to amend the Constitution to accommodate state policing, describing the initiative as a critical step toward tackling terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other security threats confronting the nation.
Speaking during his Democracy Day address earlier this month, the President reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to combating insecurity, vowing that terrorists, bandits, and their sponsors would face the full weight of the law.
Tinubu disclosed that more than 13,000 terrorists had been neutralised in the past year, noting that terrorism-related fatalities had declined significantly compared to previous years.
Despite the gains recorded, the President acknowledged that the continued captivity of schoolchildren abducted in Oyo and Borno states remains a painful reminder of the country’s persistent security challenges.
The push for state police has gathered momentum in recent months, with both chambers of the National Assembly advancing constitutional amendment efforts aimed at decentralising policing powers and strengthening sub-national security structures.
The Senate is expected to reconvene today for an emergency plenary session, where lawmakers are likely to begin deliberations on the bill, a proposal widely regarded as one of the most significant security reforms in Nigeria’s democratic history.
