House of Reps Passes Landmark Bill to Establish State Police

The House of Representatives has passed a landmark constitutional amendment bill to establish state police forces nationwide, clearing a significant legislative hurdle in a decades-long battle to decentralize the country’s security architecture.

During a plenary session on Thursday, federal lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to advance the legislation, formally titled the Sixth Alteration Bill, 2026. Because the lower chamber’s electronic voting system was malfunctioning, representatives resorted to a manual count. The tally finished with 289 lawmakers voting in favor of the decentralization framework and only one voting against it.

The sweeping proposal seeks to alter Section 214 of the 1999 Constitution, shifting policing from the government’s Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List. The shift effectively allows individual state governments to legally organize, finance, and operate their own autonomous law enforcement bodies alongside the central Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

The legislative momentum follows a severe escalation of multi-front security crises across the country, ranging from deep-seated banditry and mass kidnappings in the northwest to economic sabotage and separatist violence in the south.

For years, critics have argued that the NPF—centrally managed from Abuja—is too chronically underfunded, understaffed, and structurally top-heavy to secure grassroots communities effectively.

“The release of the final print of these Constitution Alteration Bills reflects the extensive consultations, careful scrutiny, and bipartisan collaboration that have characterised this reform process,” Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, who chairs the House Committee on Constitution Review, said ahead of the vote. “Of particular significance is the proposal on State Police, which responds to longstanding calls for a more effective and decentralised policing framework capable of addressing emerging security challenges across the federation.”

President Bola Tinubu’s administration has consistently thrown its weight behind the structural pivot. According to executive statements, the presidency views state-level command structures as vital to enhancing localized intelligence gathering and accelerating response times during ongoing terror threats.

Strict Checks and Balances

To prevent regional governors from weaponizing local forces against political opponents—a primary concern for critics of the reform—the bill includes rigid federal safeguards.

No state police department can begin operations until its enabling legislation, enacted by the respective State House of Assembly, is officially certified by the National Assembly as meeting strict national minimum standards. Furthermore, the federal police reserve the statutory right to intervene in local jurisdictions if there is a total breakdown of law and order, or if a state force falls into administrative or financial distress.

Under the newly proposed framework for Section 215, State Commissioners of Police will be appointed by governors strictly on the advice of the National Police Council, subject to confirmation by the local state legislature.

Despite the decisive victory in the House, the amendment faces a complex ratification pipeline. To officially become law, the bill must win a concurring majority vote in the Senate and secure formal approval from at least two-thirds of Nigeria’s state houses of assembly before arriving at the president’s desk for executive assent.