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By Victor Osula, Abuja
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The House of Representatives on Thursday handed President Bola Tinubu one of the biggest legislative victories of his administration by passing the executive bill seeking to establish state police services, a landmark constitutional reform that is expected to fundamentally reshape Nigeria’s security architecture after decades of agitation for decentralized policing.
The bill, titled “A bill 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)”, was passed after an overwhelming majority of lawmakers voted in its favor during plenary.
President Abbas Tajudeen announced that 311 members participated in the exercise, with 276 MPs physically present while 35 voted virtually.
The approval follows the House’s consideration and adoption of the report of the 1999 Constitution Review Committee, chaired by Vice President Benjamin Kalu.
The House had earlier withdrawn its proposed constitutional amendment on the state police and adopted President Tinubu’s executive bill as the main legislative vehicle for the reform.
It also revoked the June 11, 2026 resolution on the establishment of state police services and dissolved the 12-member conference committee formed on July 9, 2026 to harmonize previous legislative proposals.
The legislation represents a major step forward in the Tinubu administration’s efforts to reform Nigeria’s internal security framework amid worsening insecurity across the country.
For more than two decades, calls for state police intervention have dominated the national discourse as successive administrations have grappled with terrorism, banditry, kidnappings, armed robberies, communal violence, cultism and farmer-herder conflicts that have overwhelmed Nigeria’s centrally controlled police force.
Governors, traditional rulers, security experts, business groups and civil society organizations have repeatedly argued that Nigeria’s federal police structure is overstretched and incapable of effectively addressing increasingly localized security threats across the country’s 36 states.
Supporters believe that decentralizing the police would improve intelligence gathering, improve community policing, reduce response times, and allow states to respond more effectively to emerging security challenges.
However, critics have consistently warned that governors could abuse state-controlled police formations to intimidate political opponents, repress dissent and influence elections unless robust constitutional safeguards and independent oversight mechanisms are strengthened.
President Tinubu forwarded the Executive Bill to the National Assembly last week, describing it as a key pillar of his administration’s comprehensive strategy to overhaul Nigeria’s security architecture.
According to the President, the proposed legislation builds on the extensive legislative work already undertaken by the House, while introducing further safeguards to ensure accountability and prevent abuse under the proposed dual policing structure.
“This bill builds on the important work already done in this regard by the House of Representatives and incorporates additional safeguards to ensure that the creation of a dual policing structure to address our nation’s evolving national security challenges can be achieved quickly and effectively for the benefit of all Nigerians.”
Tinubu expressed confidence that the National Assembly will expedite consideration of the proposal, describing it as essential to strengthening the country’s capacity to protect lives and property.
Despite overwhelming support for the bill, proceedings took a dramatic turn when members of the Minority Caucus staged a strike to protest what they described as violations of constitutional procedures governing constitutional amendments.
Addressing reporters shortly after leaving the chamber, Minority Leader Fredrick Agbedi insisted that the opposition is not against the establishment of the state police but objects to what it considers an illegal process adopted to pass legislation.
He accused President Abbas, while presiding as chairman of the overall committee, of ignoring section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution and the Rules of the House governing constitutional amendments.
“The Constitution is the great rule. It is the code from which even our regulations derive their powers. For the President, who acts as chairman of the Comprehensive Committee, to ignore the clear provisions of Section 9(2) of the Constitution is a great affront to the functioning of the House of Representatives,” Agbedi said.
The Minority Caucus argued that constitutional amendment bills should be considered clause by clause, with each provision getting the constitutionally required two-thirds majority.
Lawmakers argued that simply reading the bill’s lengthy title before submitting it to a voice vote violated both the Constitution and the House’s standing orders.
“We are not against the creation of the state police. We are ready to support anything that will help address insecurity in Nigeria. But any action taken by Parliament must follow due process,” he added.
Opposition lawmakers revealed that they had previously instructed the President on the proposed amendments to the bill and were reportedly assured that some of their concerns would be addressed before the final consideration.
However, they claimed that they were denied the opportunity to raise constitutional procedural points before the vote.
Lawmakers also questioned how the constitutional amendment could meet the two-thirds majority required after opposition members left the House.
“If we walked out of the House, where would our votes be? Can someone decide a constitutional amendment with a voice vote? That’s not possible,” they argued.
Describing the incident as a dangerous precedent, the Minority Caucus warned that failure to strictly adhere to constitutional procedures could undermine the credibility of the National Assembly and weaken Nigeria’s democratic institutions.
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