Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele says the National Assembly will pass a constitutional amendment bill this week to establish state police, describing the reform as overdue amid Nigeria’s worsening security challenges.
Speaking in an interview, Bamidele said lawmakers support growing public calls for state police and are working to translate that demand into law.
“Our position on state police is very clear. We stand with Nigerians on this issue,” Bamidele said. “A cross-section of the Nigerian public has made it abundantly clear that there cannot be a better time to establish state police than now.”
He said the National Assembly has concluded consultations with key stakeholders, including the Office of the Attorney General, the Chief of Staff to the President, the Inspector General of Police and constitutional review committees in both chambers of parliament.
According to Bamidele, lawmakers have decided to separate the state police amendment from the broader constitutional review process to speed up its passage.
“We have reached a firm conclusion that we will pass the constitutional amendment to make provision for state police,” he said.
Once passed by the National Assembly, the bill will be transmitted to the 36 state Houses of Assembly for ratification. Under the Constitution, at least two-thirds of state legislatures must approve the amendment before it can be sent to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
Bamidele said Tinubu supports the proposal and that most state governors are also in favor of the reform.
“The President is fully aligned with us on this matter. The majority of our governors are also in support, and their respective assemblies are waiting for the bill to arrive,” he said.
Nigeria has faced persistent security threats, including banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and communal violence, prompting renewed calls for the creation of state-controlled police forces to complement the federal police system.
