FG says FCT excluded from proposed State Police structure

The Federal Government has clarified that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) will not establish its own State Police Service under the proposed State Police Bill currently undergoing the constitutional amendment process.

In a statement issued by the State House, the government explained that the FCT will remain under the jurisdiction of the Nigeria Police Force, which is expected to be renamed the Federal Police Service if the bill is fully ratified and signed into law.

According to the statement, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory will not oversee a separate police formation but will only be responsible for providing logistical support to the Federal Police operating within the territory.

“The Federal Capital Territory falls under the territorial jurisdiction of the Federal Police; the FCT is not given a State Police of its own. The minister will only have power to provide logistical support when the bill is eventually passed into law,” the statement said.

The clarification follows the passage of the State Police Bill by the National Assembly last month as part of ongoing efforts to overhaul Nigeria’s policing system and strengthen internal security.

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The proposed legislation, however, has not yet become law. It still requires ratification by at least 24 state Houses of Assembly before it can be transmitted to the President for assent, in line with the constitutional amendment procedure.

If enacted, the bill will empower each of Nigeria’s 36 states to establish and manage its own State Police Service under the supervision of the respective state governors. It also provides a 24-month transition period for states to develop the legal, administrative and operational frameworks needed to implement the new policing system.

The proposed reform is expected to reshape Nigeria’s security architecture by decentralising policing responsibilities and enabling state governments to play a more direct role in addressing security challenges within their jurisdictions.