Nigeria’s upper legislative chamber, the Senate, has passed the Constitution Amendment Bill, which seeks to decentralise Nigeria’s policing structure by creating a state police.
The passage of the bill on Wednesday marked a pivotal moment in Nigeria’s history and signals the end of decades-long debate about devolution of the nation’s security architecture amid worsening insecurity.
The passage followed a thorough and meticulous clause-by-clause review of the bill and consideration of the Senate Committee on the Review of the Constitution, presented by Deputy Senate President and committee chairman, Barau Jibrin.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the passage of the legislation after more than two-thirds of senators voted in support through a manual voting process conducted on the floor of the chamber.
The bill’s provisions were first considered at the Committee of the Whole before lawmakers adopted them and proceeded to a final vote.
Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, led the debate on the bill. He implored senators to throw their weight behind what many lawmakers described as a crucial reform aimed at tackling the nation’s perennial security crisis head-on.
The legislation seeks to establish a state policing framework that would operate alongside the existing federal police system, effectively creating a multi-tier policing system and stripping the Federal Government of its sole control of police.
A key provision of the bill “empowers state governors to appoint Commissioners of Police for their respective states, subject to confirmation by the state Houses of Assembly.”
Under Clause 17 of the proposed constitutional amendment, “while the Federal Police Service will continue to be headed by the Inspector-General of Police, each State Police Service shall be headed by a Commissioner of Police appointed by the governor and confirmed by the legislature of the state.”
The bill further outlines the operational relationship between governors and state police commands.
Section 17(6) provides that “a governor may issue lawful written directives of a general policy nature to the Commissioner of Police on matters relating to the maintenance of public safety and public order within the state.”
To address concerns over potential abuse of the new policing structure by state governments, lawmakers included safeguards aimed at protecting political freedoms and civil liberties.
Section 17(7) specifically states that “a state Commissioner of Police shall not arrest, detain, investigate or deploy force against any person, political party or group merely for criticising the government except in accordance with the law.”
The provision is intended to prevent state police formations from being weaponised against political opponents, activists, journalists or dissenting voices and ensures that any action taken must comply with due process and existing legal provisions.
Several senior government officials, including the Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Uba Sani; Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun; Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa; and the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, witnessed the Senate’s decision on the floor of the Senate.
Following the adoption of the motion, senators were called individually to publicly declare their votes during the consideration of the constitutional amendment bills.
The successful passage of the State Police Bill represents one of the most consequential constitutional reforms undertaken by the 10th National Assembly and is expected to reshape Nigeria’s security architecture if it secures the required approval of state Houses of Assembly and other constitutional processes.
Proponents of state policing have long argued that the country’s overly centralised police structure is not enough to effectively tackle the deepening security crisis in the country which is characterised by growing banditry, terrorism, kidnapping, communal clashes and other forms of criminality across the country.
Critics, however, have consistently warned that state police could be abused by governors to intimidate and persecute political opponents and suppress dissent.
With the Senate’s approval, the proposal has now crossed a major legislative hurdle, bringing Nigeria closer than ever to the creation of state-controlled police services operating alongside the federal police system
