The Nigerian House of Representatives passed a constitutional amendment bill on Thursday seeking to establish state police, a landmark move to tackle insecurity.

Lawmakers approved the proposal during a plenary session as part of the review of the 1999 Constitution, following months of consultations involving the Presidency, the National Assembly and security agencies.

The amendment aims to allow Nigeria’s 36 states to establish and operate their own police services, alongside the federal police force, ending decades of exclusive federal control of policing.

The push for state police has gained momentum amid persistent security threats across the country, including bandit attacks in the northwest, kidnappings for ransom, farmer-herder clashes in the northcentral region and terrorism in the northeast.

Security emergency

Lawmakers backing the proposal argue that locally controlled police formations would improve intelligence gathering, response times and community policing.

The debate has intensified in recent months following deadly attacks in several states. Security concerns have remained at the forefront of national discourse, with kidnapping continuing to affect communities beyond Nigeria’s traditional conflict zones and armed groups expanding operations into new regions.

President Bola Tinubu’s administration has repeatedly identified insecurity as one of the country’s most pressing challenges.

In November, he declared a nationwide security emergency and urged legislative reforms, including support for state policing, while ordering the recruitment of thousands of additional security personnel.

Bill widely supported

Supporters of the bill, including state governors, traditional rulers and security experts, have said a decentralised policing structure is necessary in a federal system as large and diverse as Nigeria.

They argue that state police would complement the overstretched Nigeria Police Force and help address local security threats more effectively.