The Nigerian Senate has passed a constitutional amendment bill to establish State Police across the country. This is the biggest change to how Nigeria handles security since the 1999 Constitution was written.<\/p>\n
The bill, which seeks to create a system where states can run their own police forces, was passed on Wednesday during a full session of the Senate led by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.<\/p>\n
President Bola Tinubu sent the bill to the National Assembly on Tuesday and asked for fast action. The Senate completed all three readings in one day.<\/p>\n
Why the Change?<\/strong><\/p>\n Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, who presented the bill, said Nigeria’s current policing system is no longer working. The country has one central police force controlled from the top, but with 36 states, a federal capital territory, and many different cultures and challenges, this approach cannot handle today’s security problems.<\/p>\n He pointed to growing threats like terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, communal clashes, farmer-herder conflicts, cybercrime, and organized crime. Under the current system, local authorities cannot respond quickly enough to dangers in their areas.<\/p>\n How It Would Work<\/strong><\/p>\n The new system would create both a Federal Police Service and State Police Services for states that choose to set them up. Here’s what it means:<\/p>\n Before any state can start its own police force, it must pass a state law and show it meets the minimum standards set by the National Assembly. This ensures all forces are professional and well-run.<\/p>\n Safeguards Against Abuse<\/strong><\/p>\n The bill includes rules to prevent misuse of power:<\/p>\n What Senators Said<\/strong><\/p>\n Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe said Nigeria needs new ideas but must make sure state police have proper funding and oversight to stay professional and independent.<\/p>\n Senator Aminu Tambuwal backed the bill as a step toward true federalism but warned that strong safeguards are needed to prevent future abuse.<\/p>\n Senator Tahir Monguno pointed out that community security groups already exist in some areas, which shows the need for formal state policing.<\/p>\n Who Was There<\/strong><\/p>\n The session was attended by several state governors \u2014 Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Uba Sani (Kaduna), and Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo) \u2014 as well as the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and other top officials.<\/p>\n Senate President Akpabio said the presence of these leaders showed how important the bill is and reflected the push for lasting security solutions.<\/p>\n This is a major step forward, but the bill still needs to pass through the House of Representatives and get approval from the states before becoming law.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Nigerian Senate has passed a constitutional amendment bill to establish State Police across the country. This is the biggest change to how Nigeria handles security since the 1999 Constitution was written. The bill,...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11767,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n
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