Wednesday June 24, 2026
www.thenewsdesk.ng
The Senate on Wednesday passed the landmark Constitution Alteration Bill seeking to establish state police across the federation, marking a major step in Nigeria’s decades-long debate over decentralising the country’s policing structure to address worsening insecurity.
The passage followed a rigorous clause-by-clause consideration of the bill and came after more than two-thirds of senators voted in support through a manual voting process conducted on the floor of the chamber.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the passage of the legislation after lawmakers overwhelmingly backed the proposal during plenary.
The upper chamber approved the bill after considering the report of the Senate Committee on the Review of the Constitution, presented by Deputy Senate President and committee chairman, Barau Jibrin.
A key provision of the bill “empowers state governors to appoint Commissioners of Police for their respective states, subject to confirmation by the state Houses of Assembly.”
Under Clause 17 of the proposed constitutional amendment, “while the Federal Police Service will continue to be headed by the Inspector-General of Police, each State Police Service shall be headed by a Commissioner of Police appointed by the governor and confirmed by the legislature of the state.”
The bill further outlines the operational relationship between governors and state police commands.
Section 17(6) provides that “a governor may issue lawful written directives of a general policy nature to the Commissioner of Police on matters relating to the maintenance of public safety and public order within the state.”
To address concerns over potential abuse of the new policing structure by state governments, lawmakers included safeguards aimed at protecting political freedoms and civil liberties.
Section 17(7) specifically states that “a state Commissioner of Police shall not arrest, detain, investigate or deploy force against any person, political party or group merely for criticising the government except in accordance with the law.”
The provision is intended to prevent state police formations from being weaponised against political opponents, activists, journalists or dissenting voices and ensures that any action taken must comply with due process and existing legal provisions.
The passage of the bill came barely an hour after the Senate abandoned plans to deploy an electronic voting system for the consideration of the State Police Bill and other constitutional amendment proposals.
Lawmakers instead adopted a manual voting process following concerns that technical glitches affecting some voting devices could disenfranchise senators and undermine the integrity of the exercise.
Advocates of state policing have long argued that the country’s centrally controlled police structure is overstretched and unable to effectively tackle the growing challenges of banditry, terrorism, kidnapping, communal clashes and other forms of criminality across the country.
Critics, however, have consistently warned that state police could be abused by governors to intimidate political opponents and suppress dissent.
With the Senate’s approval, the proposal has now crossed a major legislative hurdle, bringing Nigeria closer than ever to the creation of state-controlled police services operating alongside the federal police system.
