WorldStage— Thirty State Houses of Assembly in Nigeria have approved the constitutional amendment to establish state police, surpassing the two-thirds threshold required under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution.
The reform achieved the milestone after four additional states—Lagos, Ebonyi, Kogi, and Niger—voted in favour of the bill, raising the total number of endorsing legislatures to 30 out of the country’s 36 states.
This follows earlier approvals that crossed the initial 24-state threshold, a process coordinated alongside the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill chaired by Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila.
Under Clause 17 of the alteration bill, the framework introduces a dual policing structure: while the federal Nigeria Police Force will continue to operate under the Inspector-General of Police, each participating state will run its own service headed by a Commissioner of Police.
State governors will nominate the commissioner, subject to confirmation by the respective state legislature.
Proponents argue that decentralizing policing is essential to combatting deep-seated security challenges, including banditry, kidnapping, insurgency, and communal clashes.
Supporters maintain that localized forces have better community intelligence and can respond faster than a centralized force stretched thin across Nigeria’s vast geography.
However, critics and civil society groups express deep concern over potential abuse.
Opponents warn that state governors could weaponize local police forces to target political opponents, suppress protests, or manipulate electoral outcomes.
Financial sustainability is another major hurdle, as economically weaker states may struggle to fund, equip, and maintain independent security outfits without federal intervention.
With the state assembly votes surpassing the mandatory two-thirds majority, the amendment will be returned to the National Assembly for formal collation and transmission to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for assent.
