Nigeria’s policing system faces major change as Tinubu submits Bill

President Bola Tinubu has formally transmitted a Constitution Alteration Bill to the National Assembly seeking to provide legal backing for the establishment of state police across Nigeria’s federation.

The proposed legislation is aimed at amending relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution to create a clear legal and institutional framework that would allow state governments to operate their own policing structures alongside existing federal security agencies.

The move comes amid sustained calls for constitutional reforms to decentralise policing powers and enable states to play a more active role in addressing security challenges within their jurisdictions.

President Tinubu had earlier, in February, urged lawmakers to consider constitutional amendments that would make provision for state-controlled police forces, arguing that such reforms are necessary to improve Nigeria’s capacity to respond to rising insecurity.

The President has consistently maintained that decentralised policing is critical to tackling threats such as terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crimes affecting different parts of the country.

During his Democracy Day address, Tinubu reiterated his administration’s hardline stance against insecurity, declaring that terrorists, bandits, and their sponsors would face the full weight of the law. He stressed that there would be “no mercy” for individuals or groups undermining national security.

He also disclosed that security forces had neutralised more than 13,000 terrorists within the past year, adding that terrorism-related fatalities had reportedly declined compared to previous years, signalling what he described as gradual progress in the fight against insecurity.

The latest constitutional amendment proposal adds momentum to ongoing legislative efforts in both chambers of the National Assembly, where lawmakers have been considering various bills aimed at restructuring Nigeria’s policing architecture.

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Supporters of the reform argue that state police will enhance rapid response to local security threats, improve intelligence gathering, and strengthen community policing frameworks.

However, the proposal continues to generate debate among policymakers and security experts, with concerns raised over funding capacity, potential abuse of power, and coordination between federal and state security agencies.

Despite these concerns, the push for decentralised policing has gained wider acceptance in recent months, with growing consensus among political leaders that Nigeria’s current centralised policing structure is no longer sufficient to address the scale and complexity of contemporary security challenges.

If approved by the National Assembly and ratified through the constitutional amendment process, the bill could mark one of the most significant reforms to Nigeria’s security architecture since the return to democratic rule in 1999.