The Nigerian Senate’s approval of the State Police Bill could change how security is handled across the country, giving states more power to respond to kidnapping, banditry, terrorism, communal clashes and other local crimes.
The bill, which seeks to amend the Constitution, was passed on Wednesday after senators considered its provisions clause by clause and voted manually on the floor of the chamber. More than two-thirds of senators supported the proposal, marking a major step in Nigeria’s long debate over decentralised policing.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the passage after lawmakers adopted the report of the Senate Committee on the Review of the Constitution, presented by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin.
Here are seven key things Nigerians should know about the State Police Bill.
The bill seeks to give states the constitutional power to establish their own police services.
At the moment, Nigeria operates a largely centralised policing system controlled by the Federal Government through the Nigeria Police Force. Supporters of state police argue that this system is overstretched and has struggled to respond quickly to rising insecurity across many parts of the country.
If the bill completes all constitutional processes, each state will be able to operate a police service alongside the federal police.
The approval of state police does not mean the Nigeria Police Force will disappear.
Under the proposed structure, the Federal Police Service will continue to be headed by the Inspector-General of Police. State Police Services will also be created and headed by Commissioners of Police appointed at state level.
This means Nigeria may operate a dual policing structure, with federal and state police working side by side.
One of the major provisions of the bill gives state governors the power to appoint Commissioners of Police for their respective states.
However, such appointments will not be made by governors alone. The bill provides that state Houses of Assembly must confirm the appointments.
Supporters say this will make security response faster and more local. Critics, however, fear that governors could become too powerful if proper checks are not enforced.
A major concern about state police is the possibility of political misuse.
To address this, the bill includes safeguards to prevent state police from being used against political opponents, activists, journalists or citizens who criticise the government.
One provision says a state Commissioner of Police must not arrest, detain, investigate or use force against any person, political party or group merely for criticising the government, except in accordance with the law.
This safeguard is important because the success of state police will depend not only on creation, but also on accountability.
The Senate passed the bill through a manual voting process.
Lawmakers reportedly adopted manual voting after concerns that technical problems with electronic voting devices could affect participation. Senate leaders said the open voting process would allow every senator to take part and enable Nigerians to know where their representatives stood.
The decision added transparency to one of the most important constitutional amendment votes before the National Assembly.
Although the Senate’s approval is a major step, the State Police Bill has not yet become law.
Because it is a constitutional amendment, it must still pass other legal stages. It will require the necessary approval from state Houses of Assembly before it can take full effect.
This means the attention will now shift to state lawmakers, whose support will be crucial to the future of the proposal.
The biggest question is not only whether Nigeria will create state police, but how it will work in practice.
Supporters believe state police will improve intelligence gathering, reduce response time and help officers understand local communities, languages and crime patterns. They argue that insecurity has become too complex for one central police command to handle alone.