The National Assembly on Thursday recorded a major milestone in the push for the creation of state police, as both the Senate and the House of Representatives intensified efforts to amend the 1999 Constitution to allow decentralised policing across the country.
The House of Representatives approved the bill after an overwhelming majority of lawmakers backed the proposal during plenary. Out of the 290 members present, 289 voted in support, while one member opposed it.
Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, announced that electronic voting could not be used because of technical issues, leading lawmakers to adopt a manual voting process based on attendance.
The legislation, sponsored by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu and 14 other lawmakers, seeks to move policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List, thereby empowering states to establish and manage their own police formations.
The proposed amendment affects several sections of the Constitution, including Sections 197, 214 and 215.
Before voting commenced, a mild disagreement emerged when Bashir Zubairu Usman, representing Birnin Gwari/Giwa Federal Constituency in Kaduna State, complained that lawmakers only received copies of the constitutional amendment document on Thursday and had insufficient time to study it.
According to him, lawmakers could not adequately consider the proposals without reviewing the contents. However, Abbas overruled the objection and allowed proceedings to continue.
After the voting exercise, the Speaker described the passage as a landmark step toward creating a security system that would better address local realities while preserving the unity of the federation.
Meanwhile, the Senate also moved the state police proposal forward by passing the bill for second reading and referring it to the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Constitutional Review for further consideration.
Leading the debate, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele argued that state police would strengthen intelligence gathering, improve response times and promote community policing.
He noted that the country faces multiple security threats, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, farmer-herder clashes, armed robbery and cybercrime, adding that the current centralised policing structure has become overstretched.
Bamidele insisted that the proposal would not undermine national unity but would instead strengthen federalism by allowing different levels of government to perform their constitutional responsibilities more effectively.
He said safeguards had been built into the bill to prevent abuse by state governments. These include the establishment of State Police Service Commissions, oversight by a Federal Police Service Commission, national policing standards and legislative confirmation of key appointments.
The Senate Chief Whip, Tahir Monguno, also supported the bill, saying it would provide a legal framework for regulating vigilante groups and improving local security operations.
Under the proposed law, the Federal Police would continue to handle national security issues, terrorism, interstate crimes, cybercrime and border protection, while state police would focus on maintaining security within their respective states.
The bill also provides that state police commissioners would be appointed by governors, subject to confirmation by state assemblies, while the Inspector-General of Police would remain under federal control.
The proposed amendment outlines procedures for the removal of both the Inspector-General and state police commissioners, with oversight mechanisms intended to ensure accountability.
While supporters argue that decentralised policing would improve security and intelligence gathering, critics have expressed concerns over funding, possible political interference and jurisdictional conflicts between federal and state police forces.
Retired Assistant Inspector General of Police Ali Amodu backed the proposal, saying decentralisation had long been necessary and would help tackle insecurity more effectively.
Similarly, retired military officer and Sokoto State Governor’s Special Adviser on Security Matters, Col. Ahmed Usman (retd.), said state police would enhance intelligence gathering and allow officers to operate in environments they understand better.
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However, retired Commissioner of Police Ladodo Rabiu opposed the move, warning that many states lack the financial and institutional capacity to sustain police forces.
He also raised concerns about possible clashes between federal and state police formations during operations.
In a related development, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that Nigeria spent ₦32.5bn on arms imports in the first quarter of 2026, representing a 48 per cent increase from the ₦22bn recorded during the same period in 2025.
Security analyst Chidi Omeje said the increase reflected the growing complexity of security threats across the country and stressed the need for more investment in personnel, surveillance and local arms production.
