HISTORIC BREAKING: Senate Passes Constitutional Amendment Bill for State Police, Empowers Governors

ABUJA, NIGERIA — In a monumental legislative shift, the Nigerian Senate on Wednesday passed the landmark Constitution Alteration Bill seeking to establish state police across the federation. This historic vote marks a definitive step toward dismantling the country’s decades-long centralized policing architecture in a bid to address worsening national insecurity.

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The legislation, officially titled the “Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026,” scaled the mandatory hurdle after receiving an overwhelming statutory two-thirds majority vote from lawmakers during plenary.

Faulty Technology Forces Manual Voting

The voting process was briefly hit by drama after the electronic voting devices in the Senate chamber developed a sudden technical fault. Fearing that some lawmakers could be disenfranchised, the upper chamber unanimously adopted a motion moved by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele to switch to an open, manual roll-call vote.

During the rigorous, clause-by-clause manual voting process, each Senator stood up, announced their name, and openly declared their stance on the floor of the chamber to ensure absolute transparency.

Governors Empowered to Appoint Police Commissioners

The newly passed bill provides a comprehensive legal framework for a dual policing structure, meaning the current exclusive control of internal security by the Federal Government has effectively come to an end.

Under the provisions of the newly approved Clause 17:

• The current Nigeria Police Force framework will coexist alongside independent State Police Services.
• While the Federal Police Service will remain under the command of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), each State Police Service will be headed by a Commissioner of Police.
• Crucially, the bill empowers state governors to appoint Commissioners of Police for their respective states, subject to confirmation by their local State Houses of Assembly.

The Legislative Hurdle Ahead

The executive bill, which was transmitted to the National Assembly by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has already cleared the House of Representatives, which passed its own version earlier this month.

However, because this is a fundamental alteration to the 1999 Constitution, the battle now shifts to the sub-national level. The bill must be transmitted to the regions and must win the formal approval of at least 24 out of the 36 State Houses of Assembly before it can be sent back to President Tinubu for his final assent into law.

More details on the reaction from state governors and opposition lawmakers to follow…

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