President Bola Tinubu has formally transmitted the State Police Bill, 2026 to the Senate, urging lawmakers to fast-track its consideration as part of efforts to reform Nigeria’s security architecture.
The Senate is expected to vote on the proposal today after Senate President Godswill Akpabio referred the bill to the Constitution Review Committee with instructions to submit its report within 24 hours. Akpabio described the initiative as a historic step towards decentralising policing in Nigeria.
The proposed legislation seeks to amend the Constitution to establish state police services and create a dual policing system in which federal and state police institutions would operate side by side. Tinubu said the reform is critical to addressing the country’s worsening security challenges.
The House of Representatives has already endorsed a constitutional amendment moving policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List, with 289 lawmakers voting in support and only one dissenting.
Akpabio said state police would bring communities, local governments and youths closer to security operations, arguing that residents often possess intelligence capable of preventing crimes before they occur. He added that safeguards would be built into the system to prevent abuse by state governments.
Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele appealed to senators to attend today’s sitting, noting that constitutional amendments require the support of at least two-thirds of members. He described the proposal as a national issue that transcends political and regional interests.
Meanwhile, the House is also advancing plans to place security funding on a first-line charge of the Federation, a move intended to guarantee uninterrupted financing for security agencies and strengthen the country’s response to insecurity.
