ABUJA — The Nigerian Senate is poised to vote on a landmark constitutional amendment that could establish state police services across the federation, marking what Senate President Godswill Akpabio described as the most significant security reform since independence.
President Bola Tinubu formally transmitted the Constitution Alteration Bill to the National Assembly, seeking the creation of State Police Services. Akpabio has rallied senators for full attendance during today’s debate, emphasizing that the proposed amendment would create a legal framework while introducing safeguards to prevent possible abuse of powers.
“Since 1960, Nigeria has not had the courage to decentralise policing, and this is the first time,” Akpabio told his colleagues.
The proposal has sparked divergent views among retired military and police chiefs. Retired Brigadier General Peter Aro argued that state police should be viewed as a structured security reform rather than a political project, while retired AIG Wilson Inalegwu expressed reservations, insisting that adequate oversight mechanisms must be retained to prevent abuse.
The proposed legislation seeks to amend relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution and would require the support of at least two-thirds of members of both the Senate and House of Representatives, as well as ratification by no fewer than 24 state Houses of Assembly.
State governors have been pressing for greater constitutional authority over security operations within their domains, with a strategic meeting convened by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Secretariat examining proposals on operational powers, funding, and oversight structures.