Nigeria’s governors agree to pass the State Police Bill simultaneously, advancing constitutional reforms aimed at strengthening security nationwide.
Nigeria’s long-running campaign for the creation of state police has gained fresh momentum after the country’s 36 state governors agreed to adopt a coordinated strategy for the passage of the proposed State Police Bill.
The governors resolved that once the National Assembly transmits the constitutional amendment to the various State Houses of Assembly, lawmakers across the country will work towards approving the legislation simultaneously, a move designed to fast-track one of the country’s most significant security reforms.
The decision was announced by Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun during the ARISE News Town Hall Meeting in Abuja, where political leaders, lawmakers, legal experts and security stakeholders gathered to discuss the future of policing under the theme, “Building a National Consensus for State Police and National Security.”
The forum focused on finding sustainable solutions to Nigeria’s worsening security challenges through constitutional reforms and improved law enforcement structures.
Speaking at the event, Abiodun described the proposed synchronized passage of the bill as a deliberate effort to avoid unnecessary delays after the constitutional amendment leaves the National Assembly.
According to him, the governors believe that a unified legislative approach would demonstrate national commitment to strengthening security while ensuring that all states begin implementing the reform under the same constitutional framework.
The Ogun governor described President Bola Tinubu’s decision to forward the Executive Bill on State Police to the National Assembly on June 24, 2026, as a landmark development in Nigeria’s democratic evolution.
He noted that the proposal represents years of consultations, advocacy and negotiations involving federal authorities, state governments and legal experts who have consistently argued that policing should be brought closer to local communities.
Abiodun explained that members of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, alongside state Attorneys-General and constitutional experts, made extensive contributions during consultations leading to the drafting of the bill.
He added that many of those recommendations were reflected in the final proposal now before lawmakers.
According to the governor, Nigeria’s present policing arrangement places enormous responsibility on governors without granting them corresponding authority over security operations.
Although governors are constitutionally recognised as the chief security officers of their respective states, he observed that they cannot issue operational directives to police commissioners or control policing activities despite providing vehicles, office accommodation, logistics and financial support for federal security agencies operating within their territories.
He argued that the establishment of state police would correct this imbalance by allowing state governments to develop security strategies tailored to their unique challenges.
Community-based policing, he said, would strengthen intelligence gathering, encourage closer cooperation between residents and security personnel, and improve the speed of responses to criminal incidents.
Abiodun also projected that creating state police formations across Nigeria could increase the country’s security workforce by between 300,000 and 400,000 additional officers.
Such an expansion, he said, would significantly improve Nigeria’s police-to-population ratio, which has remained below international recommendations for several years.
He further explained that the proposed constitutional amendment seeks to transfer policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List.
If approved, the amendment would legally empower individual states to establish and operate their own police services while the Federal Government continues to maintain national policing responsibilities.
The governor, however, stressed that constitutional approval alone would not complete the reform process.
He said lawmakers would still need to amend the Police Act to establish detailed operational guidelines covering recruitment standards, funding arrangements, personnel training, disciplinary procedures, oversight mechanisms, service commissions and collaboration between state police commands and the Nigeria Police Force.
Also addressing participants at the town hall meeting, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu assured Nigerians that adequate safeguards have been incorporated into the constitutional amendment to prevent abuse of state police by political office holders.
He said concerns that governors could misuse state police for partisan purposes have been carefully considered during the drafting process.
According to Kalu, the proposed framework contains accountability measures aimed at protecting the independence of the new policing system while ensuring that officers remain professional and subject to constitutional oversight.
He maintained that decentralised policing would improve intelligence gathering, strengthen community policing initiatives and enable faster intervention during emergencies.
Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah equally expressed strong support for the initiative, arguing that the national conversation should now shift from debating the necessity of state police to discussing effective implementation.
He said practical experience in Enugu demonstrates that technology-driven security strategies can produce measurable improvements in public safety.
Mbah disclosed that investments in surveillance cameras, artificial intelligence-powered monitoring systems and a specialised Distress Response Squad have contributed to reducing violent crime in Enugu State by more than 90 percent.
He suggested that combining such technological investments with state-controlled policing would further strengthen internal security.
Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele also reiterated the National Assembly’s commitment to completing the necessary legislative reforms.
He explained that after the constitutional amendment is approved, lawmakers will immediately begin work on amendments to the Police Act to provide the legal framework for the establishment, funding and regulation of state police organisations.
Bamidele added that the proposed legislation would guarantee financial autonomy for state police service commissions while introducing safeguards designed to shield operational decisions from political interference.
Former Edo State Governor and Senator Adams Oshiomhole also endorsed the proposal, describing the current policing arrangement as contradictory.
He argued that governors cannot effectively discharge their constitutional duty of protecting lives and property when they lack the legal authority to recruit, deploy or discipline police officers serving within their states.
While concerns have continued to surface over the possibility of political misuse of state police, supporters of the proposal insist that constitutional safeguards, legislative oversight and clearly defined operational rules will prevent abuse.
They argue that the reform represents a major opportunity to improve intelligence gathering, strengthen community trust and build a more responsive security architecture capable of addressing Nigeria’s evolving security challenges.
If successfully enacted and implemented, the State Police Bill could mark one of the most far-reaching constitutional reforms in Nigeria’s security sector, fundamentally reshaping how law enforcement responsibilities are shared between the Federal Government and the states.
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