BREAKING: Senate Passes State Police Bill as Tinubu Pushes Historic Security Reform

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Nigeria has moved a significant step closer to establishing state police after the Senate approved a constitutional amendment bill aimed at decentralising the country’s security architecture.

The landmark development, widely regarded as one of the most far-reaching security reforms in recent years, has been hailed by stakeholders as a major breakthrough in addressing Nigeria’s persistent security challenges.

Reacting to the Senate’s approval, All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Hon. Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, described the passage of the bill as a historic milestone in Nigeria’s journey towards a more effective, responsive, and community-driven policing system.

Speaking with journalists in Osogbo on Thursday, Oyintiloye congratulated Nigerians on the Senate’s decision, expressing delight that a cause he had advocated for over the years was becoming a reality under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

President Tinubu had transmitted the proposed legislation to the Senate on June 23, 2026. The upper legislative chamber subsequently passed all 26 clauses of the constitutional amendment with the support of more than two-thirds of senators, paving the way for a dual policing structure in the country.

Under the proposed arrangement, state governors would have the authority to appoint commissioners of police to address local security challenges, including banditry, kidnapping, communal clashes, and other crimes peculiar to their states.

Oyintiloye recalled that he had consistently canvassed for decentralised policing, citing an article he authored on February 25, 2018, in which he argued that Nigeria’s peculiar security realities required a policing system rooted in local communities.

According to him, the Senate’s approval vindicates years of advocacy by security experts, public policy stakeholders, and concerned Nigerians who have long argued that the highly centralised policing structure had become inadequate in tackling emerging security threats.

He stated that the establishment of state police would enhance intelligence gathering, ensure quicker responses to security threats, deepen community policing initiatives, create employment opportunities, and improve officers’ understanding of local environments and security dynamics.

“For state police to succeed, it must be technology-driven and community-oriented,” Oyintiloye said.

He advocated the deployment of modern security technologies, including Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras, drones, digital communication systems, and integrated crime databases to strengthen the effectiveness of the proposed policing structure.

The APC chieftain also called for robust community policing frameworks that would involve traditional rulers, community leaders, youth organisations, and other relevant stakeholders in intelligence gathering and information sharing.

“Security is most effective when it is locally driven, intelligence-led, and supported by the people,” he said, citing the South-West security outfit, Amotekun, as evidence of the benefits of grassroots security collaboration.

Oyintiloye commended President Tinubu for what he described as courage and foresight in supporting the reform. He also praised Senate President Godswill Akpabio, members of the National Assembly, state governors, traditional rulers, security experts, and other stakeholders for their contributions towards advancing the initiative.

He, however, stressed that the implementation framework for state police must be guided by professionalism, accountability, respect for human rights, and strict adherence to the rule of law.

Oyintiloye expressed optimism that the proposed reform would significantly reduce criminality, promote peace and stability, and create an enabling environment for economic growth and national development.

Supporters of the bill, including Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, have welcomed the development, arguing that state police would allow for quicker and more tailored responses to local security challenges.

However, critics have raised concerns that governors could misuse state police formations for political purposes, including suppressing opposition voices and influencing electoral processes.

The bill will now proceed to the House of Representatives for consideration. If approved, it must also secure the endorsement of at least 24 state Houses of Assembly before it can be transmitted to President Tinubu for assent.

Describing the development as a defining moment in Nigeria’s democratic evolution, Oyintiloye congratulated the President, the National Assembly, and Nigerians on what he termed a new chapter in the nation’s security history.