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Nigeria House Approves State Police Bill, Senate NextNigeria House Approves State Police Bill, Senate Next

6/12/2026

Summary

Nigeria Approves Police

On June 11, 2026, Nigeria's House approved an amendment letting 36 states create police forces alongside Federal Nigeria Police Force.
President Bola Tinubu and cross-party lawmakers support the decentralization.
The Senate will consider the bill Thursday, while the proposal requires approval from at least two-thirds of state assemblies.
Lawmakers say state police would improve intelligence, response times and community policing amid crises, but critics warn of misuse and funding gaps.

Summary

Senate Warns

Senate leaders Opeyemi Bamidele and Ajibola Bashiru warned that governors could use police forces to intimidate during elections.
State Police Service Commissions, made up of members from National Human Rights Commission, Nigerian Bar Association, Nigerian Labour Congress, retired officers and journalists, let commissioners refer unlawful governor directives for review.
The Federal Police Service Commission may audit state police standards and deploy federal police if law-and-order collapses and a governor asks.

Summary

Kalu Calls Vote

Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu announced the House will vote on the state-police amendment on June 11, 2026.
He said the bill passed its second reading on February 20, 2024 and is backed by Kalu and 14 lawmakers.
The amendment shifts policing from the Exclusive to the Concurrent Legislative List by amending Sections 197, 214 and 215.
Citing Sections 88 and 89, Kalu called the vote an emergency.

History

Historical Context

The 1999 constitution, adopted on 29 May, launched the Fourth Republic and defined a unified federal system for Nigeria’s 36 states and more than 150 million citizens. President Bola Tinubu and House leaders now seek a 2026 amendment to let each state create its own police, reviving a federal-state debate rooted in colonial-era constitutional changes.

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Nigeria Approves Police

On June 11, 2026, Nigeria's House approved an amendment letting 36 states create police forces alongside Federal Nigeria Police Force.
President Bola Tinubu and cross-party lawmakers support the decentralization.
The Senate will consider the bill Thursday, while the proposal requires approval from at least two-thirds of state assemblies.
Lawmakers say state police would improve intelligence, response times and community policing amid crises, but critics warn of misuse and funding gaps.

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