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Nigeria's Senate passes state-police amendment, ending a 47-year federal monopoly

Tinubu's executive bill clears the upper house; 24 of 36 state assemblies must still ratify before governors can run their own forces

Courts·Leaders· pending-decision Who Decides·What Broke ·13 takes · ·rbtfl upd Jun 29, 2026

Summary

Nigeria's Senate passed the Constitution (Alteration) (State Police) Bill on June 24, clearing the way for the 36 states to run their own police forces alongside the federal force for the first time since the 1979 constitution centralised policing. The House of Representatives had passed its version on June 11. President Bola Tinubu sent the measure as an executive bill, and it cleared with more than two-thirds support, every one of the 26 clauses drawing at least 80 affirmative votes. Under the text, each state force would be led by a commissioner the governor appoints and the state assembly confirms, while the federal police continues under the Inspector-General. The amendment still needs ratification by at least 24 of the 36 state assemblies before Tinubu can sign it.

The split

Nigerian dailies covered it as a near-done structural reform. The Sun and Tribune led with the governors and presidency watching the vote, framing speed and consensus. Opposition outlets pushed back: Vanguard carried the CUPP and PRP warnings that governors could turn local forces into political tools before the 2027 elections, and that the reform skips fixing the underfunded federal police. Foreign desks like Semafor framed it through banditry, jihadist insurgency and kidnapping, the security collapse driving the change, and stressed the long ratification road most coverage glossed.

By the numbers

  • 26 clauses, all cleared the Senate, each with at least 80 affirmative votes.
  • 24 of 36, state assemblies that must ratify before presidential assent.
  • 47 years, since the 1979 constitution centralised policing under one federal force.
  • June 11, date the House of Representatives passed its version.

Why it matters

A single national police has failed to hold a country facing banditry in the northwest, jihadist insurgency in the northeast and mass abductions. Devolving force to governors could plug gaps, or hand 36 governors armed leverage two years before a national election. The funding model is unresolved.

What to watch

  • How fast the 24 state assemblies move, and which refuse.
  • The funding formula: who pays state commissioners and equipment.
  • Any clause limiting governors' operational command, the National Assembly trimmed some powers.
  • Knock-on demands from the South-East and South-West for faster rollout.