Senate announces deadline for state police constitution amendment

Senate announces deadline for state police constitution amendment

The Senate has pledged to conclude the amendment of the 1999 Constitution to provide legal backing for the establishment of state police before the end of 2026, signaling renewed momentum for the decentralisation of Nigeria’s policing structure.

The commitment follows a formal request by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who on Wednesday asked the leadership of the 10th Senate to adjust the constitution to create a legal framework for state police.

Two days later, the president made a similar request to the House of Representatives, seeking constitutional amendments to enable a decentralised police system.

Senate spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu told The Punch that the upper chamber would immediately return to the constitution review process once plenary resumes next week.

“We are going to commence the process of reviewing the constitution for the establishment of state police immediately we resume next week,” Adaramodu said.

He assured Nigerians that the amendment process would be completed ahead of the next general election cycle.

“We want to assure Nigerians that before the general election, we would have amended the constitution to allow for the creation of state police.

“We are going to expeditiously treat the matter. We are giving our assurance that before the end of this year, the amendment will be done so that we can have the state police.

“Before electioneering starts, we would have done and dusted it, then pass it on to Mr President for his assent.

Adaramodu explained that groundwork on the proposal had already been laid before attention shifted to the Electoral Act amendment, which has now been signed into law.

“Before now, we had already done a lot; we went on a little break for the electoral bill, which has just been signed into law,” he said.

“We were under the pressure of time to deliver the electoral amendment.

“Then, immediately after that, we have to consider the 2026 Appropriation Bill. That is why we suspended plenary for just a few days.

“But now that we have dealt with that, we are picking the constitution review immediately.”

According to him, consultations on the state police proposal have been held nationwide, including stakeholder engagements across all geopolitical zones.

The Senate spokesperson described state police as a reform that enjoys broad-based support across political divides.

“State police is a popular demand,” he said.

“The President has signed into it, the state governors too have signed into it, and the National Assembly is in love with it.”

If passed, the amendment would mark one of the most significant security reforms since the return to democratic rule, fundamentally altering the centralised policing structure established under the 1999 Constitution.