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| The Nigerian Senate |
The Senate on Wednesday passed a Constitution Amendment Bill seeking to establish State Police across Nigeria, marking a significant step toward restructuring the country's security framework.
The bill was approved after lawmakers conducted a clause-by-clause consideration of its 25 provisions during plenary presided over by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The legislation provides the legal framework for the creation of State Police Services by individual states while introducing constitutional safeguards designed to prevent the abuse of police powers by governors and other political actors.
Speaking during the debate, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele said the bill was carefully crafted to address concerns that state-controlled police formations could be used to harass political opponents, intimidate critics, or suppress opposition parties.
Under the proposed arrangement, the existing constitutional provision establishing only the Nigeria Police Force would be replaced with a dual policing structure comprising a Federal Police Service and State Police Services for states that choose to establish them through legislation passed by their respective Houses of Assembly.
The Senate adopted manual voting for the consideration of the bill after the electronic voting system developed technical faults during plenary. Under the manual process, senators were required to stand, identify themselves, and publicly declare their positions on the legislation.
President Bola Tinubu had earlier transmitted the Constitution Amendment Bill to the National Assembly as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria's security architecture and enhance the role of states in safeguarding their territories.
The proposed law seeks to amend relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution to provide a legal basis for the establishment of state police formations nationwide.
For the amendment to take effect, it must secure the approval of at least two-thirds of the 36 State Houses of Assembly, meaning a minimum of 24 states must endorse the legislation before it can become operational.