Senate Targets State Police Approval This Week to Tackle Kidnapping and Banditry

The Senate has intensified efforts to establish state police across Nigeria, announcing that the constitutional amendment required to decentralise policing will be treated as a top legislative priority this week.

Speaking in Abuja on Monday, Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, said the National Assembly had resolved to fast-track amendments to the 1999 Constitution in response to the country’s worsening security situation.

According to Bamidele, the proposal has secured the support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, state governors and other critical stakeholders, reflecting what he described as a growing national consensus on the need for state-controlled policing.

The renewed push comes as communities across the country continue to grapple with terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and communal violence. Recent incidents, including the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oyo State and attacks on military personnel, have heightened public concern and strengthened calls for a more localised security framework.

Nigeria currently operates a centralised police system under Section 214(1) of the 1999 Constitution, which establishes a single national police force. However, Bamidele said consultations conducted across the federation indicate broad agreement that state police formations are now necessary to improve security and response capabilities.

He disclosed that extensive engagements involving the National Assembly, the Presidency, the Office of the Attorney-General, the Chief of Staff to the President, security agencies and constitutional review committees have made significant progress, paving the way for legislative action.

To speed up the process, lawmakers plan to separate the state police proposal from other constitutional amendment bills, allowing it to be debated and voted on independently.

Once approved by the National Assembly, the amendment will be transmitted to the 36 state Houses of Assembly for ratification.

Under Nigeria’s constitutional amendment procedure, the bill must secure the support of at least two-thirds of members in both chambers of the National Assembly and receive approval from no fewer than 24 state assemblies before it can be presented to the President for assent.

Expressing optimism about the proposal’s prospects, Bamidele noted that the backing of President Tinubu and a majority of state governors provides strong momentum for its passage.

He added that the National Assembly is determined to initiate and advance the state police amendment within the week, marking what could become one of the most significant security reforms in Nigeria’s democratic history.