Nigeria moved closer to establishing state police on Wednesday after the Senate passed a constitutional amendment bill seeking to decentralise the nation’s policing system and grant governors the power to appoint state commissioners of police.
The landmark legislation was approved after more than two-thirds of senators voted in favour of the proposal during a manual voting exercise conducted on the floor of the Red Chamber.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the passage of the bill following overwhelming support from lawmakers during plenary.
The bill, which was considered clause-by-clause before its final approval, seeks to create state police services that would operate alongside the existing federal police structure, ending the Federal Government’s exclusive control over policing.
Presenting the report of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin said the proposal was designed to strengthen security and improve responses to local threats across the country.
Leading debate on the measure, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele urged lawmakers to support what he described as a critical reform aimed at addressing Nigeria’s growing security challenges.
A major provision of the bill empowers state governors to appoint commissioners of police for their respective states, subject to confirmation by state Houses of Assembly.
Under the proposed framework, the federal police will continue to be headed by the Inspector-General of Police, while each state police command will be led by a commissioner appointed by the governor and ratified by the state legislature.
The legislation also grants governors authority to issue lawful policy directives relating to public safety and order within their states.
To address fears that state police could be used for political persecution, lawmakers inserted safeguards prohibiting commissioners from arresting, detaining, investigating or deploying force against individuals, political parties or groups solely for criticising the government, except where permitted by law.
The Senate adopted manual voting for the exercise after abandoning plans to use an electronic voting system due to concerns over technical issues that could affect participation.
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Akpabio defended the decision, saying the open voting process would ensure transparency and allow Nigerians to see how their representatives voted on a major constitutional issue.
Several high-profile government officials witnessed the proceedings, including Uba Sani, Dapo Abiodun, Lucky Aiyedatiwa and Femi Gbajabiamila.
The passage of the bill marks one of the most significant constitutional reforms undertaken by the 10th National Assembly and represents a major milestone in the long-running debate over state policing.
If approved by the required number of state Houses of Assembly and other constitutional processes, the legislation could fundamentally reshape Nigeria’s security architecture by creating state-controlled police services to work alongside the federal police.
Supporters of state police argue that a decentralised policing system will help tackle insecurity, including banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and communal violence, while critics have continued to raise concerns over the potential misuse of the structure by state governments.Nigeria