Nigeria moves closer to state police as 28 states approve constitutional change

Nigeria has moved a major step closer to allowing states to run their own police forces, after 28 of the country's 36 state assemblies approved a constitutional amendment.

The Office of the Clerk to the National Assembly said on Tuesday, November 3, that the bill will now be sent to President Bola Tinubu for his assent.

What has happened

Under Section 9 of Nigeria's 1999 constitution, an amendment of this kind needs the approval of at least two-thirds of the state assemblies, which means 24 states. With 28 in favour, the threshold has been passed. The 30-day window for states to respond closed on October 15, but the Clerk's office said it would accept reports from other state assemblies until the bill is transmitted.

Vanguard reported that at least 30 states had approved, but the official statement cites 28.

As of the latest reports, it was not confirmed that the bill had reached the president or been signed. Tinubu has publicly backed the idea, assuring members of his party last December that state police would become a reality.

Why it matters

Nigeria has one centralised police force, the Nigeria Police Force, controlled from Abuja by the federal government, for a country of more than 200 million people. Governors have long complained that they are responsible for security in their states but do not control the officers who provide it.

Pressure for change has grown with worsening insecurity: banditry and mass kidnappings in the north-west, the Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgency in the north-east, and violence in the Middle Belt and south-east. Supporters argue that local forces, who know their communities and speak local languages, would respond faster and gather better intelligence.

The concerns

Critics fear that governors could use state police as private armies against opponents, particularly around elections. There are also concerns that poorer states will struggle to pay and equip their officers, and that standards could vary widely. Nigeria's experience with regional police forces before the 1970s, which were accused of being used for political repression, is often cited.

What comes next

Even with presidential assent, state police forces will not appear overnight. Laws, funding, recruitment and training rules will still need to be put in place at federal and state levels. With general elections due in January, how and when the new forces are set up will be closely watched.