The House of Representatives on Thursday passed the Executive Bill seeking to establish state police, advancing efforts to decentralise Nigeria’s policing system and strengthen the country’s internal security framework.
The bill was approved during plenary after the House withdrew its earlier constitutional amendment proposal on state police and adopted the Executive Bill transmitted by President Bola Tinubu.
The development follows the Senate’s earlier passage of its version of the legislation, bringing Nigeria closer to adopting a dual policing system that would allow state-controlled police services to operate alongside the Nigeria Police Force.
A total of 311 lawmakers participated in the voting, with Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, announcing that 276 members voted from the chamber while 35 others participated virtually.
The bill was passed after the House considered and adopted the report of the Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, chaired by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu.
The legislation, titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Provide for the Establishment of State Police Services and for Related Matters (HB. 2797),” seeks to amend the Constitution to provide the legal framework for the establishment of state police services alongside the federal police.
The passage marks another milestone in Nigeria’s long-running debate on decentralising policing as the country continues to confront banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and other security challenges.
President Tinubu had forwarded the Executive Bill to the National Assembly last week, explaining that it builds on previous legislative efforts while introducing additional safeguards to ensure an effective, accountable and well-coordinated dual policing system.
According to the President, the proposed constitutional amendment is designed to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture and improve the nation’s capacity to respond to evolving security threats.
Following the submission of the Executive Bill, the House rescinded its June 11, 2026 resolution on state police and dissolved the 12-member conference committee constituted on July 9 to harmonise earlier versions of the amendment.
Lawmakers subsequently resolved to proceed with the executive-backed proposal, which is expected to provide a more comprehensive legal framework for the implementation of state police upon the completion of the constitutional amendment process.
The establishment of state police has remained one of Nigeria’s most debated constitutional reforms, with proponents arguing that devolving policing powers would enhance intelligence gathering, promote community policing and enable quicker responses to security challenges at the grassroots.
