By Simpson Global Media News Desk
Four States Approve State Police Proposal
Nigeria's long-running debate over the establishment of State Police has entered a new stage, with four state Houses of Assembly reported to have approved the constitutional amendment required to create State Police Services.
The development was disclosed on Tuesday, October 6, by Nnadubem Moghalu, Secretary of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, during a national discussion on the proposed reform in Abuja.
According to Moghalu, Edo, Oyo, Osun and Rivers states have so far approved the constitutional amendment transmitted by the National Assembly to all 36 state legislatures.
The development comes as lawmakers, police officials, state governments, security stakeholders and civil-society representatives intensify discussions over whether policing responsibilities should be brought closer to communities.
The proposal would fundamentally alter Nigeria's policing structure by establishing State Police Services alongside the existing federal policing system.
Supporters of the reform argue that a more decentralised structure could improve local intelligence, response times and community engagement.
At the same time, participants at Tuesday's forum repeatedly stressed that decentralisation alone would not resolve Nigeria's security challenges.
They called for safeguards against political interference, independent oversight, professional recruitment and training, sustainable funding, clear command structures and mechanisms for protecting citizens' rights.
The debate is therefore no longer simply about whether Nigeria should establish State Police.
Increasingly, the discussion is about how such a system would work, who would control it, how officers would be recruited and disciplined, how it would be funded, and what protections would exist against abuse.
National Assembly Bill Moves to State Legislatures
The proposed reform is rooted in a constitutional amendment process.
The National Assembly passed the constitutional amendment establishing State Police earlier in 2026 before transmitting it to the 36 State Houses of Assembly for consideration.
Under Nigeria's constitutional amendment procedure, a constitutional alteration passed by the National Assembly must receive approval from at least two-thirds of the 36 state Houses of Assembly — 24 states — before it can become part of the Constitution.
That means the four states reported to have approved the proposal represent an early stage rather than completion of the constitutional process.
Twenty additional state approvals would still be required to reach the constitutional threshold.
The proposal consequently remains subject to legislative consideration across the federation.
The process also means that the final structure of State Police will depend not only on decisions made in Abuja but on how state legislatures respond to the constitutional amendment.
This gives the state assemblies a direct role in determining whether the reform proceeds.
Zamfara Joins the Debate
The issue received additional attention in Zamfara on October 6, where the State House of Assembly backed constitutional amendments to allow the establishment of State Police.
Speaker Bilyaminu Ismail Moriki said the Assembly had passed a resolution supporting the proposal.
He said State Police could complement efforts to address insecurity in Zamfara and improve protection for communities and travellers on highways.
The development is significant because Zamfara has experienced prolonged security challenges involving banditry, kidnapping and attacks on communities.
The state's support reflects one of the principal arguments advanced by proponents of decentralised policing: that security threats often differ significantly from one part of Nigeria to another.
The security problems confronting a rural community in the North-West may differ from those confronting a densely populated commercial city in the South-West or an oil-producing community in the Niger Delta.
A policing structure with greater local responsibility could, supporters argue, allow law-enforcement institutions to adapt more directly to those differences.
But the proposed system would still have to operate within national legal and professional standards.
National Forum Brings Security Stakeholders Together
The latest developments were discussed at the second Annual Distinguished Parliamentarian Lecture and Award Series organised by the House of Representatives Press Corps in Abuja.
The event was themed “The Imperative for State Police: Securing Communities, Strengthening Federalism.”
The forum brought together lawmakers, government officials, police representatives, security professionals, journalists and other stakeholders to examine the proposed restructuring of Nigeria's policing architecture.
Among those associated with the discussions were Speaker of the House of Representatives Abbas Tajudeen, Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu, Niger State Governor Umaru Bago, former House Minority Leader Ndudi Elumelu and Presidential Working Group official Nnadubem Moghalu.
The presence of senior representatives from the political and security establishments reflected the significance of the proposal.
It also provided an opportunity for proponents to discuss the expected benefits of decentralisation while addressing concerns that have accompanied the State Police debate for years.
Why State Police Is Being Considered
Nigeria currently operates a centrally structured police system.
The Nigeria Police Force is constitutionally organised at the federal level, with commands and formations deployed across the states.
The arrangement provides a common national policing structure.
However, the country's geographic size, population and security challenges have generated recurring arguments that local security problems require policing institutions with stronger knowledge of local communities.
The debate has become particularly prominent amid terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, communal violence, cult-related violence and other forms of organised crime.
In many communities, residents know the terrain, local relationships and patterns of movement better than officers who may be deployed from another part of the country.
Supporters of State Police argue that such local knowledge could strengthen intelligence gathering.
They also contend that local officers may be able to establish closer relationships with residents, traditional institutions, community organisations and local businesses.
The underlying argument is that policing depends not only on the number of officers deployed but also on the quality and timeliness of information available to them.
Police Leadership Welcomes the Debate
Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu, represented at the Abuja forum by Deputy Commissioner of Police Suleyman Gulma, welcomed the ongoing debate.
According to the report of the forum, the police leadership said security remained fundamental to socioeconomic development and expressed support for constitutional and legislative efforts aimed at strengthening law enforcement, improving community safety and promoting accountable, citizen-centred policing.
That position is significant because the creation of State Police would represent a major change in Nigeria's policing architecture.
The proposed system is not being presented as a replacement for the Nigeria Police Force.
The Nigeria Police Force has previously said State Police should function as a complementary structure within a coordinated national security framework rather than diminish the federal police.
The distinction is important.
Nigeria would need mechanisms for coordination between federal and state policing institutions.
Without clear jurisdictional boundaries, two separate policing structures operating within the same geographical area could create confusion over authority, investigations, intelligence sharing and operational responsibility.
Moghalu Warns Against Political Abuse
While defending the principle of decentralised policing, Moghalu stressed that State Police must be designed to operate independently of political interests.
He warned against the possibility of governors using state police against political opponents or local majorities using the institution against minorities.
He argued that the legal framework should be designed to work regardless of who occupies political office.
Moghalu said the proposed system should protect Nigerians regardless of their political affiliation, social status or personal connections.
That concern has been one of the central objections raised by critics of State Police.
Governors are powerful political actors within their states.
If a state police commissioner or senior officers were directly dependent on a governor without independent oversight, critics argue that law-enforcement powers could potentially be used selectively.
Supporters of the reform have responded that the solution is not necessarily to retain a wholly centralised system but to create legal and institutional safeguards that limit political interference.
The debate has therefore shifted toward institutional design.
Oversight Becomes a Central Question
One of the most frequently mentioned safeguards is independent oversight.
The proposed State Police system would need mechanisms for investigating complaints against officers, disciplining misconduct, monitoring police operations and protecting citizens whose rights may be violated.
The question is who should exercise that oversight.
Participants at the Abuja forum called for clear accountability arrangements, professional standards and institutional checks.
Former House Minority Leader Ndudi Elumelu said any new policing framework should provide effective oversight and accountability, alongside adequate funding, training, welfare and professional standards.
These issues are critical because policing involves significant coercive powers.
Police officers can arrest suspects, search premises under legal authority, carry firearms and use force in defined circumstances.
The exercise of those powers requires rules and oversight to ensure that security operations remain within the law.
Funding Could Determine the System's Success
Another major question is money.
Creating State Police Services would require substantial investment.
States would need to fund recruitment, training, salaries, pensions, equipment, vehicles, communications systems, firearms management, stations, detention facilities, information technology and welfare.
Some states have significantly greater fiscal capacity than others.
That creates a potential problem.
If State Police depends entirely on individual state revenues, there could be substantial differences in the ability of states to provide equipment and personnel.
A state with stronger internally generated revenue and larger federal allocations might be able to maintain a more extensively equipped police service than a poorer state.
That could create uneven policing capacity across Nigeria.
The proposed national framework will therefore need to address minimum standards and sustainable funding.
The Presidential Working Group has already identified funding, recruitment, training, oversight and operational readiness among the issues that need to be addressed before state police formations become operational.
Recruitment and Local Representation
Recruitment is another important issue.
One argument for State Police is that officers could be recruited with greater knowledge of the communities they serve.
Local recruitment could improve communication and familiarity with local languages, customs and geography.
But recruitment also creates questions about standards.
The proposed system would need transparent criteria for selecting officers.
It would also need background checks, professional training and mechanisms to prevent recruitment from becoming a political patronage exercise.
The Federal Government's proposed National Policing Bill framework is intended to establish national minimum standards and define requirements for recruitment, vetting, training, pay, pensions, equipment, firearms control, custody, complaints and discipline.
Those national standards could help prevent significant variations in professionalism between states.
Training Cannot Be Ignored
Police work increasingly requires skills beyond conventional patrol duties.
Modern law enforcement involves digital investigations, financial crime, cybercrime, forensic analysis, intelligence gathering, hostage situations, counter-terrorism, community engagement and crisis negotiation.
State Police officers would therefore require professional training comparable to national standards.
Training would also need to cover constitutional rights and rules governing the use of force.
This is especially important in a system where officers could be more closely connected to local political and social structures.
Professional standards can help create a common institutional culture even when police services are decentralised.
The objective would be to allow officers to understand local circumstances without sacrificing national standards of policing.
Intelligence Will Remain Critical
Local policing does not automatically guarantee better intelligence.
Information must be collected, assessed, protected and shared appropriately.
Criminal organisations may exploit local relationships, intimidate witnesses or infiltrate institutions.
State Police would therefore need secure intelligence systems and mechanisms for exchanging information with the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, the military and other security agencies.
The Nigeria Police Force has already been emphasising intelligence-led and technology-driven policing, including improved coordination and modern investigative tools.
A decentralised system would have to preserve that capability.
If intelligence remains trapped within individual state structures, criminals could exploit jurisdictional gaps.
If information can move securely between federal and state agencies, local knowledge could potentially strengthen broader national security operations.
State Police Would Not Replace the Military
Another important distinction concerns the role of the armed forces.
The military remains responsible for national defence and is deployed internally under specified circumstances to support civil authorities.
State Police would not be a substitute for military operations against terrorist organisations or other heavily armed threats that fall within national security responsibilities.
The proposed structure is primarily concerned with policing and internal law enforcement.
This means Nigeria would continue to need coordination among the police, military, intelligence agencies, civil defence and other security institutions.
State Police could potentially improve community-level policing while federal security agencies continue handling threats requiring national or specialised capabilities.
The legal framework will need to define those responsibilities clearly.
The Constitutional Hurdle
The four states that have approved the proposal are only the beginning of the ratification process.
Nigeria's constitutional procedure requires at least 24 of the 36 state Houses of Assembly to approve a constitutional alteration after it has passed the National Assembly.
That means the proposal still requires approval from 20 additional states based on the four approvals announced on October 6.
Each state legislature will need to consider the proposal within its constitutional responsibilities.
The process is therefore not automatic.
A state assembly may hold debates, consultations or hearings before deciding how its members will vote.
The outcome will depend on the decisions taken by individual legislatures.
The Presidency's Role
The Federal Government has been working on the State Police proposal for several months.
In June, the Presidency said significant progress had been made towards establishing State Police and that consultations among the Executive, National Assembly and security authorities had advanced.
In August, the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill announced a seven-week roadmap for developing a comprehensive legal and operational framework.
The group said the proposed framework would establish national minimum standards, define state readiness, provide for certification, clarify jurisdictional responsibilities, ensure independent oversight, uphold human rights and provide for sustainable funding.
The group also invited public submissions from citizens, professionals, civil-society organisations, security agencies, state and local governments and academics.
This indicates that the constitutional amendment is only one part of the larger reform process.
Even if enough state assemblies approve the amendment, legislation and regulations would still be necessary to establish how State Police operates.
A Dual-Policing Structure
The emerging proposal points towards a dual-policing arrangement.
The federal police would continue operating nationally, while states would establish their own police services subject to constitutional and legislative requirements.
Such a structure would require clearly defined areas of responsibility.
For example, there would need to be rules covering investigations that cross state borders.
There would also need to be mechanisms for dealing with criminals who move between jurisdictions.
Similarly, intelligence relating to terrorism, organised crime, trafficking and other national threats would need to move between state and federal agencies.
The Federal Government has said the proposed framework would provide an orderly transition to a dual-policing structure.
The transition itself could become one of the most complicated parts of implementation.
What Happens to Existing Police Structures?
The creation of State Police raises questions about existing police facilities, personnel and responsibilities.
Would state governments recruit entirely new officers?
Would existing federal officers be eligible to transfer?
How would pension rights be handled?
Would state police officers receive the same basic training as federal officers?
Who would control firearms and ammunition?
Who would maintain national criminal databases?
How would officers pursue suspects across state boundaries?
What happens when a federal and state police operation overlap?
These questions require clear answers before the system can function effectively.
The Presidential Working Group has identified several of these areas in its proposed national framework, including recruitment, training, pensions, equipment, firearms control, data, complaints and discipline.
Protecting Citizens' Rights
The State Police debate is also a human-rights issue.
Any police institution must operate within constitutional protections.
Citizens have rights relating to personal liberty, fair hearing, privacy, freedom of expression and peaceful association.
Law-enforcement powers must therefore be exercised within the limits established by law.
A decentralised police structure would need strong complaint mechanisms so that citizens can report misconduct.
There would also need to be independent avenues for investigating serious allegations against officers.
Oversight cannot depend entirely on the same institutions being supervised.
The challenge is to establish enough independence to make accountability credible while maintaining operational effectiveness.
Concerns About Governors
The role of state governors remains one of the most sensitive issues.
Governors are elected political leaders with substantial influence over state institutions.
If they have authority over State Police, there would need to be clear limits on how that authority is exercised.
The concern is not confined to one political party or one state.
The institutional question is whether a police force can remain professional and impartial when political leadership changes.
Moghalu specifically addressed this concern at Tuesday's forum, arguing that safeguards must be designed to withstand changes in political leadership.
The argument is essentially that laws should not rely solely on the personal conduct of individual governors.
Instead, institutional rules should establish what governors can and cannot do.
That includes defining appointment powers, operational directives, disciplinary authority and oversight arrangements.
The Argument for Local Knowledge
Supporters of State Police point to the practical limitations of policing a country as large and diverse as Nigeria through a single central command structure.
Local officers may know particular roads, communities, languages and social relationships.
They may be better positioned to identify unusual activity and establish communication with community leaders.
Niger State Governor Umar Bago, through his representative at the Abuja forum, said the scale of insecurity demonstrated the need for policing that could respond to the specific challenges of individual communities.
The argument is particularly relevant in areas where large distances and difficult terrain can slow the movement of security personnel.
However, local knowledge needs to be combined with professional independence and reliable intelligence systems.
Otherwise, familiarity with a community could become a source of bias rather than an advantage.
The Argument for National Coordination
The federal system also provides advantages.
A national police organisation can establish common standards, move personnel between regions, coordinate investigations across state boundaries and maintain nationwide databases.
It can also provide specialised capabilities that may be too expensive for individual states to develop.
The State Police proposal therefore does not eliminate the need for federal policing.
Instead, the central policy question is how the two structures can work together.
Effective coordination would be necessary to prevent gaps in responsibility.
Security Threats Do Not Follow State Boundaries
Criminal networks frequently operate across administrative boundaries.
A kidnapping syndicate can abduct a victim in one state and move into another.
A trafficking network can operate through several states.
Arms can be transported across multiple jurisdictions.
Terrorist groups can exploit borders between states and countries.
State Police would therefore need formal arrangements for cross-border investigations and operations.
There would also need to be mechanisms for joint task forces where crimes extend beyond one state.
Without such arrangements, decentralisation could potentially create additional jurisdictional complications.
The National Policing Bill is intended to provide a framework for coordinating the different layers of policing.
Nigeria Has Been Debating State Police for Years
The current proposal is not the first attempt to establish State Police in Nigeria.
The issue has appeared repeatedly in constitutional reform discussions.
The National Assembly's current reform effort follows years of debate over whether the country's security challenges require greater decentralisation.
Earlier constitutional review exercises also considered proposals relating to State Police and community policing.
The issue gained renewed urgency as insecurity expanded across different regions.
The current process is therefore the result of a long-running policy debate rather than a sudden response to one security incident.
The Wider Security Picture
The State Police debate is unfolding against a broader security environment involving several different threats.
In the North-East, military and security agencies continue to confront insurgent groups.
In parts of the North-West, banditry and kidnapping remain major concerns.
In the North-Central region, communal and farmer-herder conflicts have contributed to insecurity in some communities.
In the South-East, separatist-related violence and attacks on security personnel have remained concerns.
In the South-South, authorities continue to address oil theft, pipeline protection and criminal activity around the waterways.
In urban areas, police deal with robbery, cult violence, cybercrime, domestic violence and other forms of criminality.
These problems require different responses.
That diversity is one reason proponents argue for greater local policing capacity.
But it also means that State Police alone cannot solve all of Nigeria's security problems.
Economic and Social Dimensions
Security experts have also repeatedly linked insecurity to economic and social conditions.
Unemployment, poverty, weak community institutions, illicit financial networks and limited opportunities can create environments in which criminal organisations recruit or operate.
Former Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun said on October 6 that Nigeria needed fundamental reforms in its security architecture and argued that weapons and security personnel alone could not resolve insecurity. He linked the problem to systemic and governance challenges.
That perspective broadens the security debate.
Policing is one component of national security.
Education, employment, justice, border management, economic opportunity and community development also influence the environment in which crime occurs.
A State Police system would therefore operate within a much larger security and governance framework.
What Four Approvals Mean
The reported approval by Edo, Oyo, Osun and Rivers marks measurable progress for proponents of the constitutional amendment.
But it does not mean State Police has been established.
The proposal still requires the approval of at least 20 additional state assemblies to reach the constitutional threshold.
After that, legislation and operational rules would be required to establish the institutional structure.
There would then be a transition period during which states would need to demonstrate readiness.
The Presidential Working Group has indicated that state readiness, recruitment, training, funding, equipment, data, firearms control, custody and oversight are among the matters that need to be addressed before a state can operate its own police service.
The Importance of Public Scrutiny
Because State Police would represent a major change to Nigeria's security architecture, public scrutiny is likely to remain important.
Citizens, professional associations, civil-society groups, legal experts and security professionals can contribute to the debate by examining the proposed laws and asking how the system would work in practice.
The House of Representatives Press Corps forum is one example of this wider discussion.
The Presidency has also previously invited public submissions on the National Policing Bill.
Such consultations can help identify problems before legislation is finalised.
What Happens Next
The immediate next step is continued consideration of the constitutional amendment by the 36 State Houses of Assembly.
With four approvals reported, the proposal needs at least 20 additional state approvals to reach the required 24-state threshold.
The process will therefore remain under close observation.
At the same time, the Presidential Working Group will continue developing the legal and operational framework for State Police.
Issues expected to remain central include recruitment, vetting, training, funding, equipment, command, jurisdiction, data management, firearms control, complaints, discipline, human rights and independent oversight.
State governments and legislatures will also need to consider their capacity to support any police service that eventually becomes operational.
The Questions Still Unanswered
Several practical questions remain unresolved.
How much will State Police cost?
Who will pay for it?
Who appoints state police commissioners?
What role will governors have in operational decisions?
How independent will state police authorities be?
What happens when a governor issues a directive that police officials believe conflicts with the law?
Who investigates allegations against senior state police officers?
How will state police share intelligence with federal agencies?
How will officers pursue suspects across state boundaries?
Will there be national minimum standards?
How will states that cannot immediately meet those standards be treated?
What mechanisms will protect minorities and political opponents?
How will police misconduct be investigated?
These questions are not peripheral.
They go directly to whether the proposed system can operate effectively and within the law.
A Reform Still in Progress
Nigeria's State Police debate has therefore entered a more consequential stage.
The National Assembly has already acted.
The proposal is now before state legislatures.
Four states — Edo, Oyo, Osun and Rivers — have been reported to have approved it.
Zamfara has also publicly backed the constitutional amendment, with its Assembly considering the proposal.
At the national level, senior political and police officials are publicly discussing the reform.
But the constitutional threshold has not yet been reached.
And even if the required number of states approve the amendment, the work of designing and implementing State Police would only begin in earnest.
Balancing Local Policing With National Standards
The central challenge is finding a structure that combines local responsiveness with national standards.
A State Police officer should understand the community where he or she works.
But that officer should also be bound by professional rules that apply across Nigeria.
A state should have enough authority to address local security needs.
But it should also remain subject to constitutional protections and independent oversight.
Governors should have a legitimate role in the administration of state institutions.
But police powers must not become instruments for political retaliation.
Federal agencies should maintain national responsibilities.
But they must also cooperate effectively with state-level security institutions.
The final system will therefore depend heavily on institutional design.
Security Reform Beyond the Uniform
The State Police proposal has emerged from a basic security question: how can Nigeria provide effective protection to people living in communities that differ greatly in geography, population, economic activity and security threats?
There is no single answer to that question.
State Police may alter the way policing responsibilities are distributed, but the effectiveness of the system will depend on intelligence, professionalism, funding, justice, accountability and cooperation among security institutions.
The Abuja debate demonstrated that even among supporters of State Police, there is recognition that decentralisation must be accompanied by safeguards.
That is now one of the defining issues in the reform process.
The Road Ahead
Nigeria is moving toward a decision that could reshape its policing architecture for years to come.
The reported approval by four state assemblies provides an early indication that the constitutional amendment is receiving support in parts of the federation.
Zamfara's position adds another state-level endorsement, while the remaining assemblies continue to consider the proposal.
The constitutional requirement remains clear: at least 24 of the 36 state Houses of Assembly must approve the alteration before it can take effect under the established amendment process.
Until that threshold is reached, State Police remains a proposed constitutional reform rather than an operational reality.
If the threshold is eventually achieved, attention will shift from the question of whether State Police should exist to the more complicated question of how it should function.
That next phase will require legislation, funding arrangements, recruitment systems, training standards, oversight institutions and coordination mechanisms.
It will also require careful attention to citizens' constitutional rights.
For communities facing insecurity, the practical concern will remain straightforward: whether the security institutions responsible for protecting them can respond quickly, professionally and lawfully.
For governments and lawmakers, the task is to build a structure capable of meeting that expectation without creating new avenues for political interference or institutional conflict.
Nigeria's State Police debate has therefore moved beyond an abstract constitutional discussion.
It is now a live legislative and security reform process involving the National Assembly, state legislatures, the Presidency, the police, governors, civil society and the public.
The next stage will be determined by the decisions of the remaining state Houses of Assembly and by the safeguards ultimately incorporated into the legal framework.
The outcome will shape not only the future organisation of policing, but also the balance between federal and state authority over internal security.
For now, four states have crossed the first reported hurdle, Zamfara has backed the initiative, and the national conversation is increasingly focused on the practical architecture of a possible dual-policing system.
The constitutional threshold, however, remains ahead.
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