President Bola Tinubu has forwarded a Constitution Alteration Bill seeking the establishment of state police to the Senate, in a move aimed at strengthening security across the country.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio disclosed this during Tuesday’s plenary, stating that the upper chamber would consider the proposed constitutional amendment on Wednesday.
Akpabio also revealed that state governments had indicated their readiness to consider the bill immediately after receiving it. The proposed legislation seeks to amend relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution to create a legal framework for the establishment and operation of state police across the federation.
The development follows sustained calls by President Tinubu for constitutional reforms that would allow states to play a more active role in maintaining security within their territories. In February, the President urged the National Assembly to amend the Constitution to accommodate state police, describing the reform as a critical step towards addressing terrorism, banditry and other security challenges.
Speaking during his Democracy Day address earlier this month, Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to tackling insecurity, vowing that terrorists, bandits and their sponsors would face the full weight of the law. He noted that over 13,000 terrorists had been neutralised in the past year, while acknowledging that the continued captivity of some abducted schoolchildren remained a major concern. The Senate is expected to take further action on the bill as lawmakers push forward one of Nigeria’s most significant security reform initiatives.
Credit – The Punch
