Reps withdraw passed State Police Bill as Tinubu sends fresh Constitution Amendment proposal

President Bola Tinubu has transmitted to the House of Representatives a fresh Constitution Alteration Bill seeking to establish a legal framework for state police across the country, prompting the House to withdraw its previously passed State Police Bill to pave the way for consideration of the executive proposal.

The bill represents the most significant attempt to restructure Nigeria’s policing architecture since the country’s return to democratic rule in 1999.

Reading the President’s letter during plenary on Tuesday, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas informed lawmakers that the executive bill would replace the House’s earlier version to harmonise ongoing legislative efforts on the issue.

In the letter dated June 15, 2026, Tinubu urged the House to give expedited consideration to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) (State Police) Bill, 2026, describing it as a key pillar of his administration’s security reforms.

The President said the bill seeks to create “a constitutional pathway for the establishment of State Police Services, “to strengthen Nigeria’s response to growing security challenges.

According to Tinubu, the proposed legislation builds on previous work already undertaken by the House while introducing additional safeguards to ensure the effective operation of a dual policing system.

“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,” the letter stated.

Tinubu described the legislation as a critical aspect of his administration’s efforts to reorganise the country’s security architecture and appealed to lawmakers to accord it speedy legislative consideration.

“The proposed legislation is a critical component of our administration’s strategy to reorganise 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,” the President wrote.

He also expressed optimism that the National Assembly would expedite work on the proposal, saying he looked forward to its prompt consideration.

The latest move represents the strongest executive push yet for constitutional recognition of state policing, a proposal that has remained one of Nigeria’s most debated constitutional reform issues for over two decades.

Nigeria currently operates a single, centrally controlled police system under the Nigeria Police Force as provided by the 1999 Constitution. Successive administrations, state governors, security experts and constitutional reform advocates have argued that the country’s centralised policing structure has become overstretched amid rising insecurity, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, communal violence and other violent crimes.

The call for state police has gained momentum in recent years as governors increasingly rely on regional and state-backed security outfits, including Amotekun in the South-West, Ebube Agu in parts of the South-East, and various vigilante organisations, to complement federal security agencies.

Supporters of state police argue that decentralising policing would improve intelligence gathering, response time and community policing, while opponents have consistently raised concerns that state-controlled police could be abused by governors for political purposes.

The House of Representatives has in recent years considered several constitutional amendment proposals on state police through its Constitution Review Committee, but none has completed the constitutional amendment process requiring approval by two-thirds of both chambers of the National Assembly and ratification by at least 24 state Houses of Assembly.

If passed by the National Assembly and approved by at least 24 of the 36 state assemblies, the bill would amend the Constitution to establish a dual policing system, allowing both the Federal Government and state governments to operate constitutionally recognised police services.

The proposed legislation is expected to trigger fresh debate within the National Assembly and among stakeholders over the structure, powers, funding, oversight and operational safeguards for state police as lawmakers begin consideration of the bill.