Nigeria House of Reps passes State Police Bill

  

The Nigerian House of Representatives has passed a landmark bill to establish state police forces across the federation.

The piece of legislation, formally titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Provide for the Establishment of State Police; and for Related Matters (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026,” secured overwhelming bipartisan support during a high-stakes plenary session.

The milestone vote reflected an extraordinary consensus among lawmakers that Nigeria’s deeply centralized security architecture has become inadequate for tackling the relentless waves of banditry, kidnapping, terrorism, and communal clashes plaguing the nation.

A Dramatic Floor Vote

The consideration of the bill at the Committee of the Whole was presided over by the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas. However, mid-session logistical complications added a layer of dramatic tension to the proceedings. Following an announcement by Speaker Abbas that the chamber's electronic voting system was malfunctioning, lawmakers were compelled to ditch technology and adopt a manual show of hands to cast their votes.
The chamber's leadership confirmed that the constitutionally required two-thirds quorum of the 360-member house had been met, with over 290 lawmakers in attendance. When the final manual count concluded, the results revealed near-total unanimity: 289 lawmakers voted in favor of the bill, with only one voting against it and no abstentions.

The House Leader, Hon. Julius Ihonvbere, had earlier set the stage for this legislative breakthrough by moving a motion to suspend the House rules, allowing the chamber to prioritize this urgent security matter before an upcoming legislative recess. The motion was seconded by Minority Leader Hon. Fred Agbedi, signaling strong cross-party alignment.

Decentralizing the Security Architecture

For over two decades, the debate over decentralized policing has been one of the most fiercely contested political issues in Nigeria. Proponents have long argued that an over-centralized police command headquartered in Abuja is structurally ill-equipped to manage localized criminal activities across 36 culturally and geographically diverse states.

Presenting the report from the House Committee on Constitution Review, the Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Committee, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, passionately urged his colleagues to back the measure. He described the bill as a direct, structural response to Nigeria's escalating internal security crisis.
"State policing will fundamentally provide a localized security framework where officers who understand the local languages, geography, and community dynamics can respond effectively to immediate threats," Kalu argued on the floor.

The Dual Policing Model: How it Works

The proposed constitutional amendment fundamentally reshapes Nigeria's internal governance by altering Section 214 of the 1999 Constitution to shift policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List. This crucial change grants both the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly the legal authority to enact laws regarding internal security.

The bill introduces a dual policing model characterized by explicit operational parameters:

Framework and Certification: The National Assembly retains the power to prescribe the overarching structure, administration, and minimum operational standards for all state forces. No state police formation can commence operations until its enabling state law is certified by the federal government as meeting these national benchmarks.

Federal Operational Default: Until a state formally establishes and certifies its own independent police service, the Federal Police will maintain absolute jurisdiction over internal security within that sub-national territory.





Mitigating the Risk of Political Abuse

A primary concern among critics of the reform has been the potential for state governors to weaponize local police forces against political opponents, particularly during election cycles. To prevent this, the Sixth Alteration Bill introduces strict constitutional safeguards and limits on sub-national executive power.
Under the newly proposed Section 215, while state governors hold the authority to issue lawful directives to State Commissioners regarding public safety, a safeguard clause has been introduced. If a State Commissioner believes a governor's directive is unlawful, unethical, or inconsistent with national policing standards, they are empowered to refer the matter to the newly styled Nigeria Police Council, whose ultimate decision on the dispute will be final.
Furthermore, the bill strictly limits federal interference, stipulating that the Federal Police can only intervene in a state's internal affairs under narrow "breakdown" scenarios. These include a complete collapse of law and order, an explicit formal request for help from a governor, or if a state force suffers severe administrative and financial failure.

Next Steps in the Legislative Journey

Reacting to the successful vote, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas praised the lawmakers, noting that security remains the bedrock of national development.

"By passing this Bill, the House has taken a decisive constitutional step towards creating a policing framework that is more responsive to local realities while preserving the unity and sovereignty of the federation," Abbas stated.
Despite the triumph in the lower chamber, the bill still faces a long and arduous legislative journey before it can be codified into law. To successfully amend the constitution, the proposal must now achieve concurrence in the Senate, where it has recently scaled its second reading and been referred to the Senate Committee on Constitution Review for further evaluation and potential public hearings.
Following concurrent passage by both federal chambers in identical terms, the bill must be transmitted to the 36 State Houses of Assembly. It will require the endorsement of a two-thirds majority of the states (at least 24 out of 36) before it can finally be forwarded to the President's desk for executive assent.