REPS WITHDRAW EARLIER STATE POLICE BILL, ADOPT TINUBU’S PROPOSAL
Read Time:3 Minute, 22 Second
By: Fasasi Hammad
The House of Representatives has resolved to withdraw its previously passed State Police Bill and instead consider the Executive Bill submitted by President Bola Tinubu, marking a significant development in the National Assembly’s efforts to reform Nigeria’s security architecture.
Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, announced the decision on Tuesday during the opening of the 2026 National Assembly Open Week in Abuja, describing the President’s proposal as more comprehensive and robust than the version earlier approved by the Green Chamber.
The move effectively suspends plans to harmonise the House and Senate versions of the earlier legislation, as lawmakers prepare to begin fresh consideration of the executive proposal.
Abbas explained that the new bill incorporates additional safeguards developed by a presidential committee chaired by the President’s Chief of Staff and former Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila.
According to the Speaker, the executive bill reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing Nigeria’s security challenges through a more effective and decentralised policing framework.
He reiterated the House’s readiness to give the proposal expedited consideration due to its importance to national security.
Abbas, however, dismissed concerns that the legislation was being rushed through the National Assembly without adequate public participation.
He assured Nigerians that the bill would undergo public hearings, stakeholder consultations and full legislative scrutiny before any final decision is taken.
The Speaker said the proposed framework would contain strict safeguards, accountability measures and clear limits on the powers of state police institutions to prevent abuse.
He stressed that states would be required to meet defined standards before being allowed to establish their own police services and assured that protections for fundamental rights would be embedded in the legislation.
According to Abbas, the bill is designed to ensure that state police forces do not become tools for political manipulation or instruments of state governors.
President Tinubu had transmitted the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) (State Police) Bill, 2026, to the House in June, urging lawmakers to fast-track its consideration as part of broader efforts to strengthen the country’s security system.
In his communication to the National Assembly, the President said the legislation would create a constitutional framework for the establishment of State Police Services to complement the Nigeria Police Force in tackling growing security threats nationwide.
Tinubu noted that the bill builds on earlier legislative efforts by the National Assembly while incorporating additional safeguards to ensure an effective dual policing structure.
Before the executive proposal was introduced, both chambers of the National Assembly had separately advanced constitutional amendment bills supporting the creation of state police.
The House proposal, championed by the Constitution Review Committee led by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, sought constitutional recognition of state police while retaining the Nigeria Police Force as the primary federal policing institution.
Similarly, the Senate version supported decentralised policing but included extensive safeguards covering recruitment, funding, operational accountability and federal oversight to prevent abuse.
The Executive Bill is expected to consolidate elements of both proposals while introducing additional constitutional protections recommended by the presidential committee on state policing.
Although details of the draft have not yet been released, Abbas disclosed that it contains stronger accountability mechanisms and stricter conditions for states seeking to establish their own police services.
The proposal represents one of the most significant attempts to decentralise Nigeria’s policing system since the country returned to democratic rule in 1999.
Advocates argue that state police would improve intelligence gathering, strengthen community policing and enhance responses to insecurity, while critics have expressed concerns about potential political misuse if adequate safeguards are not enforced.
Under the Constitution, the amendment must secure approval from two-thirds of members of both chambers of the National Assembly and subsequently receive endorsement from at least 24 State Houses of Assembly before becoming law.
With the House now aligning with the Executive Bill, attention is expected to shift to public hearings and stakeholder engagements as lawmakers begin consideration of what could become a landmark reform of Nigeria’s security framework.
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