President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has officially forwarded a landmark Constitution Alteration Bill to the Senate, seeking the establishment of state police forces across Nigeria.
The executive bill, which proposes comprehensive amendments to the 1999 Constitution, aims to provide a robust legal framework to decentralize the country’s security architecture and tackle protracted security challenges.
The formal request was presented during Tuesday’s plenary session, signaling a major policy shift toward community-centered law enforcement.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who read the executive communication to lawmakers, hailed the “State Police Bill, 2026” as an epoch-making initiative.
Akpabio emphasized that localization is key to effective policing, noting that residents are inherently better positioned to identify criminal elements within their neighborhoods.
He asserted that the establishment of state-level forces would drastically improve grassroots intelligence gathering and bridge the gap between local communities and security agencies.
According to leadership in the upper chamber, state governments have already signaled their readiness to implement the infrastructure for local policing as soon as the constitutional amendment process is completed.
The proposal itself is the culmination of nearly two years of intense nationwide consultations and rigorous deliberations by the Constitution Review Committee.
Lawmakers were specifically commended for returning from their annual recess to prioritize the scrutiny of this legislative framework.
The Senate has demonstrated an intent to fast-track the bill, with Akpabio directing the review committee to resubmit its comprehensive report on Wednesday for further legislative action.
The upper chamber stresses its commitment to expediting the consideration of this security measure before officially proceeding with its delayed annual recess.
Copies of the working report have already been distributed to senators for overnight study to ensure robust debates.
However, further deliberation on the state police bill was abruptly halted on Tuesday following the somber announcement of the death of Hon. Yaya Tongo.
The deceased lawmaker represented the Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency of Gombe State in the House of Representatives.
Out of respect for the late legislator, the Senate postponed all legislative debates on the security bill until Wednesday.
