House Passes State Police Bill, Nigeria Moves Closer to Dual Policing System

Nigeria moved a step closer to adopting a dual policing system on Thursday as the House of Representatives passed the Executive Bill seeking to establish state police services across the country.

The legislation, transmitted by President Bola Tinubu, was approved after lawmakers suspended consideration of an earlier constitutional amendment proposal in favour of the executive-backed bill.

The passage follows the Senate’s approval of a similar measure, bringing the proposed constitutional amendment closer to completion.

A total of 311 lawmakers participated in the voting exercise, with 276 members voting physically in the chamber and 35 participating virtually.

Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, announced the outcome, stating that the bill was passed after members adopted the report of the House Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, chaired by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu.

The bill, titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Provide for the Establishment of State Police Services and for Related Matters (HB. 2797),” seeks to amend the Constitution to create a legal framework for state police to operate alongside the Nigeria Police Force.

The House’s approval marks another milestone in Nigeria’s long-running efforts to decentralise policing as the country battles insecurity, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes.

President Tinubu had forwarded the Executive Bill to the National Assembly last week, explaining that it builds on previous legislative efforts while introducing safeguards aimed at ensuring accountability, coordination and effective operation of the proposed dual policing system.

According to the President, the constitutional amendment is intended to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture and improve the country’s ability to respond to emerging security threats.

Following the transmission of the Executive Bill, the House rescinded its June 11, 2026 resolution on state police and dissolved the 12-member conference committee constituted on July 9 to harmonise earlier versions of the amendment.

Lawmakers subsequently resolved to proceed with the executive proposal, which is expected to provide a more comprehensive legal framework for implementing state police once the constitutional amendment process is concluded.

Supporters of state policing argue that devolving policing powers to the states will improve intelligence gathering, strengthen community policing and enable faster responses to security challenges at the grassroots.

However, critics have continued to express concerns over possible political interference, abuse of power by state governments and funding challenges, issues that have dominated debates on the proposed reform for years.

The bill will now proceed to the remaining stages of the constitutional amendment process before it can become law.