Nigeria has drawn significantly closer to establishing state police forces after legislative assemblies across 25 states endorsed a constitutional amendment designed to decentralise the nation’s security structure.
The development represents a major step in efforts to reform Nigeria’s centralised policing system and give states greater responsibility for security within their jurisdictions.
Under Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution, a constitutional amendment requires approval by at least two-thirds of members of both chambers of the National Assembly and resolutions supporting the proposal from at least two-thirds of the 36 state houses of assembly.
The Senate and House of Representatives approved the proposed amendment in June and July respectively, after which the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, transmitted the bill to the state legislatures for consideration.
The 25 states that have approved the proposal are Ogun, Delta, Plateau, Kwara, Adamawa, Edo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers, Zamfara, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Taraba, Yobe and Kebbi.
With 25 states now backing the proposal, the amendment has surpassed the constitutional threshold of 24 state assemblies required for approval at that level.
Nigeria currently operates a centralised policing system, with the Nigeria Police Force under federal control and policing placed on the exclusive legislative list.
If the amendment becomes law, policing would be moved from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent legislative list, allowing both the National Assembly and state legislatures to make laws on policing and related security matters.
The proposed framework would establish separate federal and state police structures, with each operating within defined areas of responsibility.
Under the arrangement, the Nigeria Police Force would continue to provide policing in a state until the state establishes its own police formation.
Once operational, the state police would assume responsibility for policing within its jurisdiction, while the federal police would retain duties assigned to it under federal law.
The proposal also provides for limited federal intervention in the administration and internal security operations of state police forces under specific circumstances.
These could include a serious breakdown of law and order beyond the capacity of a state police force, a formal request for federal assistance by a state governor, or situations in which a state police formation is unable to function because of administrative, financial or other challenges.
The proposed system is intended to create clearer responsibilities between federal and state police while maintaining a mechanism for federal intervention during exceptional security situations.
With the required number of state assemblies having endorsed the proposal, the National Assembly is expected to complete the remaining legislative procedures before transmitting the constitutional amendment to President Bola Tinubu for assent, in line with the constitutional process.
The Presidential Working Group on Police Reform also disclosed that the National Policing Bill would shortly be sent to the National Assembly, where it is expected to support the government’s wider plans to overhaul the country’s policing system
What You Should Know
Nigeria’s legislative process to decentralize policing has crossed a major hurdle with 25 state assemblies approving the constitutional amendment, surpassing the required two-thirds threshold.
- Positive Impact: This reform aims to improve local security by allowing states to create their own police formations that understand the specific security challenges and terrain of their communities.
- Potential Concerns: Critics and experts worry about potential political misuse of state police forces by governors against opponents, as well as the financial sustainability of funding separate state security agencies.
