Tinubu seeks constitutional backing for State Police, transmits Bill to Reps

President Bola Tinubu has formally transmitted the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) (State Police) Bill, 2026 to the House of Representatives, seeking constitutional approval for the establishment of state police services as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s security architecture.

In a letter addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, the President urged lawmakers to expedite consideration of the bill, which seeks to amend the 1999 Constitution to provide the legal framework for the creation, regulation and operation of state police across Nigeria.

According to Tinubu, the proposed legislation builds on previous legislative efforts by the House while introducing additional safeguards designed to ensure the smooth implementation of a dual policing system involving both the Nigeria Police Force and state-controlled police services.

“I am delighted to present to the House of Representatives for consideration the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) (State Police) Bill, 2026, which seeks to amend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to create a constitutional pathway for the establishment of State Police Services,” the President stated in the letter.

He explained that the constitutional amendment is intended to establish a more responsive, decentralised and efficient policing structure capable of tackling Nigeria’s increasingly complex security challenges, including banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and other violent crimes.

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The President said the proposal incorporates lessons from previous legislative deliberations while providing adequate constitutional safeguards for the operation of both federal and state policing institutions.

“This Bill builds on the significant work already done in this regard by the House of Representatives and incorporates additional safeguards to ensure that the creation of a dual policing structure to address our nation’s evolving national security challenges can be achieved quickly and effectively to the benefit of all Nigerians,” Tinubu said.

Describing the bill as a major pillar of his administration’s security reform agenda, the President expressed confidence that lawmakers would act swiftly to pass the legislation.

“The proposed legislation is a critical component of our administration’s strategy to reorganize Nigeria’s security architecture to better protect our citizens, and I am confident that the House of Representatives will act quickly to consider and pass this Bill,” he added.

Tinubu also appealed to members of the House to accord the proposal accelerated legislative consideration, stressing that the reforms are essential to improving public safety and enhancing the nation’s overall security framework.

The President’s request comes less than two weeks after the Senate approved a similar constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish state police services nationwide.

The upper chamber passed the proposal after Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele presented its general principles during plenary.

Senators subsequently considered the bill clause by clause before approving it at third reading with the support of more than the constitutionally required two-thirds majority needed for amendments to the 1999 Constitution.

With the bill now before the House of Representatives, the proposal has moved another step forward in the constitutional amendment process.

If approved by the National Assembly and subsequently endorsed by at least two-thirds of Nigeria’s 36 state Houses of Assembly before receiving presidential assent, the amendment would pave the way for the establishment of state police services, marking one of the most significant security reforms in Nigeria’s democratic history.