THE Senate has pledged to conclude the amendment of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution to pave the way for the establishment of state police before the end of 2026, signaling a major shift in the country’s security architecture.
News Point Nigeria reports that the Senate spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, disclosed on Sunday that the upper legislative chamber would immediately resume deliberations on the constitutional review once plenary reconvenes next week.
According to him, lawmakers are determined to fast-track the amendment process to ensure that the legal framework for state police is in place before political campaigns commence ahead of the next general election cycle.
The renewed legislative momentum follows a formal request by President Bola Tinubu, who urged the National Assembly to begin the constitutional amendment process to incorporate state police as part of broader efforts to address Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.
Speaking during an interfaith breaking of fast with senators at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday night, the President called on lawmakers to begin work on the amendment.
“What I am asking for tonight is for you to start thinking how best to amend the constitution to incorporate the state police for us to secure our country, take over our forests from marauders, free our children from fear,” Tinubu said.
Two days later, while addressing members of the House of Representatives, the President emphasized that the proposed state police structure must include safeguards to prevent abuse of power by state governors.
He cautioned that the initiative must not become “a straight free fall for everybody,” stressing the need for robust checks and balances informed by past governance experiences.
Responding to the President’s request, Adaramodu assured Nigerians that the Senate would treat the constitutional review with urgency.
“We are going to commence the process of reviewing the constitution for the establishment of state police immediately we resume next week,” he said.
“We want to assure Nigerians that before the general election, we would have amended the constitution to allow for the creation of state police. We are going to expeditiously treat the matter. Before electioneering starts, we would have done and dusted it and pass it on to Mr President for his assent.”
He further explained that substantial groundwork had already been completed prior to the temporary suspension of plenary sessions to focus on the Electoral Amendment Bill, which has now been signed into law.
Adaramodu disclosed that extensive consultations had been conducted nationwide, including stakeholder engagements across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones.
According to him, the Senate Committee on Constitution Review has already compiled reports and findings from these consultations, positioning the chamber to resume deliberations without delay.
“Before now, we had already done a lot; we went on a little break for the electoral bill. We were under pressure to deliver the electoral amendment. Then, immediately after that, we had to consider the 2026 Appropriation Bill. Now that we have dealt with those, we are picking the constitution review immediately,” he stated.
The proposal for state police has long been debated in Nigeria, with advocates arguing that decentralizing policing powers would improve response times, enhance intelligence gathering, and strengthen local security management.
Adaramodu described the initiative as enjoying broad support across political and institutional lines.
“State police is a popular demand. The President has signed into it, the state governors too have signed into it, and the National Assembly is in love with it,” he said.
Nigeria’s current policing structure is centralized under the federal government, a system critics say has struggled to address diverse and region-specific security threats ranging from banditry and kidnapping to insurgency and communal clashes.
If successfully amended, the constitution would allow states to establish their own police services, potentially redefining the country’s internal security framework.
However, concerns remain over possible political misuse of state-controlled security agencies, a fear President Tinubu has openly acknowledged while calling for strong institutional safeguards.
As plenary resumes next week, attention will turn to how swiftly lawmakers can navigate the complex amendment procedure, which requires approval by two-thirds of the National Assembly and ratification by at least 24 state Houses of Assembly.