Nigeria’s long-running debate over the creation of state police has gained significant momentum after the House of Representatives approved a constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish state-controlled police formations, while the Senate also advanced the proposal by passing it for second reading.
The development marks one of the most important security reform efforts in recent years as lawmakers seek new strategies to address growing concerns over terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, communal violence, armed robbery, and other security threats affecting communities across the country.
At the House of Representatives, lawmakers overwhelmingly endorsed the constitutional amendment during the consideration of the report presented by the House Committee on Constitution Review. A manual vote showed strong support for the proposal, with hundreds of lawmakers backing the bill aimed at creating a dual policing structure consisting of both a Federal Police Service and State Police Services.
If eventually adopted, the constitutional amendment will alter Section 214 of the 1999 Constitution, ending Nigeria’s exclusive federal policing arrangement and allowing individual states to establish their own police formations under clearly defined legal and operational guidelines.
Under the proposed framework, state governments seeking to establish police services must first pass enabling legislation through their respective State Houses of Assembly and meet minimum operational standards to be prescribed by the National Assembly. Until such state police formations become fully functional, the Federal Police will continue to exercise policing powers within those states.
The proposal also contains safeguards designed to prevent abuse and political interference. While governors will be empowered to issue lawful directives to State Commissioners of Police on matters affecting public safety, commissioners will have the right to challenge directives they consider unlawful by referring such matters to the Nigeria Police Council for review and final determination.
The bill further outlines a new command structure for policing in Nigeria. Under the arrangement, the Inspector-General of Police will continue to head the Federal Police, while each state police service will be headed by a Commissioner of Police appointed through a process involving both state authorities and national oversight institutions.
Supporters of the reform argue that decentralised policing will improve intelligence gathering and crime prevention because officers recruited from local communities are more familiar with the language, culture, geography, and security realities of their areas of operation.
During debate at the Senate, lawmakers described the proposal as a practical response to Nigeria’s evolving security challenges. Senate leaders noted that the current centralised policing model is increasingly stretched by rising cases of insurgency, banditry, mass abductions, farmer-herder conflicts, cybercrime, and organised criminal activities.
Advocates of state policing also point to federal systems such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and Germany, where federal and sub-national police agencies operate side by side while maintaining coordinated security structures.
However, despite broad support, concerns remain over the potential challenges associated with implementing state police. Security experts have warned that many states may struggle to finance, equip, and maintain effective police services given existing economic constraints.
Critics also fear that some governors could misuse state police for political purposes, citing historical concerns associated with regional police formations during Nigeria’s First Republic. Others argue that without adequate safeguards, decentralised policing could lead to conflicts of jurisdiction and uneven security standards across the federation.
Security analysts further caution that creating state police alone may not solve Nigeria’s security problems unless issues such as manpower shortages, training, intelligence capabilities, logistics, and police welfare are comprehensively addressed. They warn that replicating existing weaknesses of the federal police structure at the state level could create additional challenges rather than solutions.
The journey toward state police is still far from complete. Following approval by the House and further consideration by the Senate, the constitutional amendment must secure the support of at least two-thirds of the 36 State Houses of Assembly before it can be transmitted to the President for assent.
Even after becoming part of the Constitution, individual states will still be required to enact separate laws establishing their police services and comply with national standards before operations can begin.
The state police debate has resurfaced repeatedly over the years, particularly as insecurity continues to challenge communities across Nigeria. While supporters view the proposal as a necessary reform that will bring policing closer to the people, opponents insist that stronger institutions, adequate funding, and effective oversight mechanisms must be put in place before such a major security restructuring can succeed.
For now, the latest action by the National Assembly represents a major milestone in Nigeria’s security reform agenda and signals that state policing, once considered politically unattainable, is gradually moving closer to becoming a constitutional reality.
