Senate Passes State Police Bill, Builds Safeguards Against Abuse

Jane Salihu

The Senate on Wednesday passed the Constitution Alteration Bill seeking the establishment of State Police across Nigeria, marking a significant milestone in the country’s efforts to tackle insecurity through a more decentralized policing structure.

The passage of the bill follows growing calls for policing reforms amid rising concerns over banditry, kidnapping, terrorism, communal conflicts, and other security threats nationwide. The legislation establishes the constitutional framework for a dual policing system that would enable states to create and operate their own police services alongside the Federal Police Service.

Leading debate on the bill, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele said the current centralized policing structure was no longer sufficient to address Nigeria’s evolving security challenges. He noted that State Police would strengthen community policing, improve intelligence gathering, enhance public confidence, and enable faster responses to security threats at the local level.

According to Bamidele, the reform would also allow the Federal Police Service to focus on national security responsibilities such as counter-terrorism, organized crime, cybercrime, border security, arms trafficking, and other interstate criminal activities.

Addressing concerns over possible abuse of State Police by political office holders, Bamidele said the bill contains robust safeguards to prevent governors and other authorities from using police formations for partisan, ethnic, religious, sectional, or personal interests.

The legislation expressly prohibits the unlawful targeting of individuals, political parties, groups, or associations and provides for independent oversight mechanisms to ensure accountability.

The bill also establishes conditions under which the Federal Government may intervene in a state’s policing operations, including situations involving a breakdown of public order, serious violations of fundamental rights, threats to national security, partisan or electoral intimidation, or where a State Police Service becomes incapable of performing its functions. Such intervention must be authorized in writing by the President, with details communicated to relevant authorities, including the state governor, the State House of Assembly, the National Police Council, and the National Assembly.

Under the proposed framework, State Police will not come into existence automatically. Any state seeking to establish its own police service must first enact an enabling law through its House of Assembly and meet national minimum standards covering recruitment, training, vetting, promotion, discipline, use of force, and handling of firearms as prescribed by the National Assembly.

Lawmakers argued that the reform aligns with practices in many federal systems around the world, where sub-national police services operate alongside federal law enforcement agencies to improve security delivery.

With Senate approval secured, the bill will proceed for harmonization with the version earlier passed by the House of Representatives. Thereafter, it will be transmitted to the 36 State Houses of Assembly for consideration and approval in accordance with constitutional amendment requirements.

If eventually ratified by the states, the legislation will represent one of the most far-reaching security reforms in Nigeria’s democratic history, fundamentally reshaping the country’s policing architecture and bringing law enforcement closer to local communities.