mORGANABLE Politics/Governance
The documents were submitted by the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila
KaNo—
The Senate has assured Nigerians that legislation establishing state police will be enacted before the end of December 2026, following the approval of the proposed constitutional amendment by the required two-thirds majority of state Houses of Assembly.
The assurance came as the Ondo State House of Assembly, on Monday, passed the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, seeking to establish State Police Services across the country.
The Ondo lawmakers approved the bill during plenary after it scaled second and third readings, with all members present voting in support of the proposed legislation.
The development followed earlier approvals by several state assemblies, including Osun, Adamawa, Delta, Edo, Nasarawa, Ogun, Plateau, Rivers, Taraba, Zamfara, Enugu, Anambra, Imo, Ekiti, Kebbi, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Abia, Yobe and Kaduna.
Speaking on the development, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Yemi Adaramodu, said the National Assembly was determined to conclude the legislative process before its Christmas recess.
Adaramodu, in an interview with Punch Newspaper, described the establishment of state police as a major priority in the ongoing constitutional review, stressing that lawmakers would give the proposed legislation accelerated consideration.
“On the constitution review matter, we all know that the one on the front burner now is the state police bill.
“Already, we have promised Nigerians that before the end of this 10th National Assembly, a new police law will be enacted for Nigerians. And then, before we even leave for Christmas, it would have been done,” he said.
His assurance followed the submission of the draft National Policing Bill, 2026, alongside 29 consequential amendment bills, to the Federal Ministry of Justice for legislative drafting review and validation.
The documents were submitted by the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Under the proposed timetable, the Ministry of Justice is expected to return the validated drafts by October 30, after which the working group will undertake final consideration before presenting them to President Bola Tinubu.
The President is subsequently expected to approve the proposals for transmission to the National Assembly for legislative consideration.
However, Adaramodu declined to make commitments regarding the executive’s proposed timetable, explaining that the Senate could only act after formally receiving the relevant documents.
“Well, we cannot pass comment on what the executive said until we receive correspondence from them,” he stated.
Addressing concerns over possible delays in obtaining the concurrence of state legislatures, the Senate spokesman explained that the 30-day deadline was specifically intended to allow state assemblies to submit their positions on the proposed amendment.
He noted that the National Assembly would review the submissions and undertake the necessary consultations before concluding the constitutional amendment process.
“All those things (state approvals) will be brought to us, and we will put them under consideration because we are still going to hold a conference to address it.
“Again, you need to understand that the 30-day deadline is not for us. It is for the states to send in their inputs. And they have been doing that,” he explained.
Adaramodu maintained that lawmakers remained committed to delivering the proposed legislation within the year, describing the reform as necessary to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.
“There’s nothing to worry about. The policing bill will be done expeditiously as we promised and it will become law before the end of this year, by the grace of God. We are determined,” he said.
He further emphasised the importance of stakeholder participation, noting that the proposed policing arrangement would have far-reaching implications for communities nationwide.
According to him, the National Assembly would ensure that relevant groups and institutions contributed to the development of an effective legal framework.
“This is a popular bill. We know that it’s what Nigerians want and need. So, definitely we are not going to waste a minute on it.
“It’s only that we have to make sure that all stakeholders, critical ones, and even the ones that are not seriously critical, have input. This is because it concerns every community in Nigeria,” he added.
The Senate spokesman argued that decentralised policing would strengthen law enforcement and improve the country’s capacity to respond to killings, kidnapping, banditry and terrorism.
He explained that although the National Assembly had enacted several laws to address insecurity, effective enforcement remained a major challenge under the existing centralised policing arrangement.
“We want to put an end to all these incessant killings, abductions, and activities of these marauders, bandits and terrorists in Nigeria. So, we have enacted a lot of laws in the National Assembly to deter them. The only thing we need now is the enforcement.
“But if the state police are on ground, enforcement will be better done and more effective than a centralised police force in Nigeria,” he stated.
Also commenting, the senator representing Anambra Central, Victor Umeh, said the approval of the amendment by the required number of state assemblies marked a significant step towards establishing state police.
Umeh explained that the constitutional amendment would return to the National Assembly for verification of the resolutions submitted by the state legislatures.
“Well, now that 24 state assemblies have concurred to the state police bill, it will come back to us.
“What this means is that we have met the constitutional threshold. So, if it comes back to the Senate, we will verify all the things sent,” he said.
The lawmaker maintained that Nigeria’s geographical size and diverse security challenges made decentralisation necessary to improve policing effectiveness.
He argued that relying exclusively on a centrally controlled police force had created operational difficulties, particularly in communities far removed from major security commands.
“We cannot continue to have one central police force to provide security to Kebbi, Calabar, Sabon Gari, Ikot Abasi and all the far ends of this country. No, we must decentralise it to have two police commands, especially state police, to get nearer to the grassroots,” Umeh said.
He added that deploying officers familiar with local communities would strengthen intelligence gathering, improve communication with residents and facilitate quicker responses to emerging security threats.
Umeh maintained that the proposed arrangement would address some limitations of the existing system, where officers deployed outside their familiar environments could struggle to understand local security dynamics.
The proposed legislation is expected to provide the constitutional and legal framework for decentralised policing, marking a significant change in Nigeria’s security administration if the remaining legislative requirements are completed.
