Tinubu Moves to Establish State Police Through Constitutional Reform

President Bola Tinubu has transmitted a Constitution Alteration Bill seeking the establishment of state police to the Senate, marking a significant step in ongoing efforts to reform Nigeria’s security architecture. Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the development during Tuesday’s plenary, revealing that lawmakers are expected to consider the proposed constitutional amendment on Wednesday. According to Akpabio, state governments have also indicated their readiness to review the proposal once it is formally transmitted to them.

The bill seeks to amend relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution to provide a legal framework for the creation and operation of state police across the country. The proposal follows repeated calls by President Tinubu for constitutional reforms that would allow states to play a greater role in addressing security challenges within their jurisdictions. In February, the President urged the National Assembly to amend the Constitution to accommodate state police, describing the move as essential in the fight against terrorism, banditry and other forms of violent crime. During his Democracy Day address earlier this month, Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to tackling insecurity, stating that terrorists, bandits and their sponsors would face the full force of the law. He noted that more than 13,000 terrorists had been neutralised over the past year and said terrorism related fatalities had declined compared to previous years. However, the President acknowledged that the continued captivity of some abducted schoolchildren in Oyo and Borno states remained a source of concern.

#UTVAfrica#