A legislative assembly session in Nigeria. Thirty state assemblies have approved the historic constitutional alteration bill, paving the way for independent, state-governed police forces across the federation.

 

By Oriental Africa News Room 

ABUJA, NIGERIA — The legislative journey toward decentralizing Nigeria's security framework has achieved a major milestone, with 30 State Houses of Assembly officially endorsing the proposed constitutional amendment to establish state police. The bill has comfortably cleared the mandatory threshold of two-thirds approval from the country's 36 states, setting the stage for one of the most transformative updates to Nigeria's 1999 Constitution.
The proposed legislation aims to transition the single Nigeria Police Force into a dual-layered system comprising a Federal Police Service and individual State Police Services. To facilitate a smooth rollout, the Presidential Working Group has already submitted the draft National Policing Bill and 29 consequential amendment bills to the Federal Ministry of Justice. Under this decentralized framework, states that are not immediately equipped to manage their own local security apparatus will be permitted to continue relying on the federal policing structure.
Concurrently, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, confirmed that the Presidency is proactively tasking Nigeria’s organized private sector to co-design a transparent, sustainable financing and implementation blueprint. Officials emphasize that while private investments are essential to cover operational costs and equipment, all contributions will be strictly audited to prevent private entities or political actors from buying influence over police investigations.
 
Editorial Column 
Securing endorsement from 30 State Houses of Assembly marks a historic watershed moment for Nigeria's federal structure, indicating a robust nationwide democratic consensus that localized security challenges require decentralization. Moving policing from the Exclusive to the Concurrent Legislative List will naturally bring security operations closer to vulnerable communities, yet the success of this dual system hinges entirely on rigorous financial modeling and airtight statutory safeguards. To protect the integrity of the new state forces, lawmakers must establish independent oversight frameworks and transparent, audited private-funding protocols that strictly prevent these decentralized agencies from being weaponized as instruments of local political intimidation.

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