Nigeria’s Senate has passed a landmark bill allowing the creation of state police forces, marking a major shift in the country’s security architecture as it seeks to tackle rising insecurity across the nation.
The proposed constitutional amendment would decentralise Nigeria’s current federal policing system, enabling all 36 states to establish their own police units. These new state forces would operate alongside the existing national police, which has struggled with manpower shortages and widespread security challenges.
Under the new framework, the federal police would retain responsibility for critical national security operations such as counterterrorism, border control and organised crime, while state police would focus on local enforcement and community-level security.
The reform has been widely viewed as a response to Nigeria’s escalating security crisis, which has seen criminal gangs and armed militant groups operating across both rural and urban regions. According to United Nations estimates, tens of thousands of people have been killed in related violence in recent years.
Lawmakers argue that the current centralised system has left vast rural areas under-policed, creating gaps that armed groups have exploited. The new legislation aims to address these weaknesses by improving response times and increasing local security presence.
Support for the bill has grown amid a wave of kidnappings and attacks across the country, including the abduction of at least 80 schoolchildren in different regions. Analysts say the slow response to such incidents has intensified calls for a more locally controlled security system.
Security expert Ikemesit Effiong of SBM Intelligence said the centralised structure has contributed to delays in responding to crises, adding that decentralisation could help improve efficiency and accountability in policing.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has backed the reform, which has been debated for years but repeatedly stalled due to concerns over implementation and political resistance.
However, the proposal remains controversial. Critics warn that state-controlled police forces could be abused by governors to suppress opposition and consolidate political power, raising concerns about accountability and human rights violations.
Despite these concerns, supporters argue that state policing could strengthen security by ensuring that officers are more familiar with local communities and better able to respond to regional threats.
For the bill to become law, it must still be approved by at least two-thirds of Nigeria’s state assemblies, as it requires a constitutional amendment.
If passed, the reform would represent one of the most significant changes to Nigeria’s policing system in decades, with far-reaching implications for governance, security and civil order.
