Tinubu Records Major Security Reform Milestone as 25 State Assemblies Approve State Police
By Marian Alekhue
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has recorded a major milestone in his administration’s drive to reform Nigeria’s security architecture, as 25 State Houses of Assembly have approved the 2026 Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill paving the way for the establishment of State Police.
The development marks significant progress towards fulfilling the long-standing demand for decentralised policing in Nigeria, with the number of approving state legislatures exceeding the required two-thirds majority of 24 states.
The achievement represents a major step in President Tinubu’s efforts to reshape the country’s security framework, strengthen responses to local security threats and create a policing system better positioned to address the peculiar security challenges confronting individual states.
With 25 State Assemblies having approved the proposed constitutional amendment, the process has crossed a critical legislative threshold. However, the amendment must still complete the remaining constitutional and legislative procedures before the proposed policing structure can become fully operational.
Eleven states, including Lagos, Kano, Borno, Sokoto, Katsina and Niger, are yet to approve the amendment.
Chief of Staff to the President and Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, described the development as a significant breakthrough in the country’s police reform efforts.
Gbajabiamila commended the 25 State Assemblies for their support and praised the National Assembly for passing the bill through both chambers, noting that the approvals had established the constitutional foundation for a dual policing system comprising the Federal Police Service and State Police Services.
The initiative reflects the Tinubu administration’s approach of combining constitutional reform with the development of an operational framework to support the proposed restructuring of policing in the country.
Gbajabiamila disclosed that the National Policing Bill, 2026, and 29 related amendment bills were undergoing legislative drafting review and validation at the Federal Ministry of Justice.
According to him, the draft bills were submitted to the Attorney-General of the Federation on October 19 for legal review.
The Ministry of Justice is expected to complete the validation exercise and return the documents to the Presidential Working Group on or before October 30 for final adjustments before presentation to President Tinubu.
The President had inaugurated the Presidential Working Group in July 2026 to develop the legal and operational framework required to establish State Police.
Tinubu had explained that the constitutional amendment would provide the legal foundation for the reform, while the National Policing Bill would establish the operational structure governing the proposed state police services.
Gbajabiamila urged stakeholders to support a smooth transition to the proposed dual policing system, expressing confidence that it would strengthen security and improve responses to threats at the grassroots.
He also expressed optimism that the remaining State Assemblies would approve the amendment, citing the level of support the proposal had attracted across the country.
The latest development places the Tinubu administration at the centre of a potentially historic restructuring of Nigeria’s policing system. If the remaining legal and legislative processes are completed, the reform would represent a major change to the country’s security architecture, giving states a formal role in operating police services alongside the federal police.
For an administration confronted with persistent security concerns across different parts of the country, the progress towards State Police constitutes a significant policy milestone, although its eventual impact will depend on the final legal framework, implementation arrangements, accountability mechanisms and safeguards against political interference.
