Reps withdraw state police bill, adopt President Tinubu’s executive proposal

The House of Representatives has withdrawn its earlier State Police Bill and resolved to adopt the Executive Bill transmitted by President Bola Tinubu, marking a major shift in the National Assembly’s ongoing constitutional amendment process on the establishment of state police.

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 robust and more comprehensive” than the version previously passed by the Green Chamber.

The decision effectively suspends plans to harmonise the House and Senate versions of the earlier State Police Bill, with lawmakers now set to begin fresh legislative consideration of the Executive Bill.

Mr Abbas explained that the new proposal incorporates additional safeguards developed by a presidential committee chaired by the President’s Chief of Staff and former Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila.

“The deeper lesson of Oyo is that a nation of this magnitude cannot be policed in perpetuity from a single command in Abuja,” Abbas said.

“His Excellency the President has now transmitted to the National Assembly an executive version of the State Police Bill, one that is more robust and more comprehensive than the version this House earlier passed.”

The Speaker assured that the House would immediately recall its earlier bill and prioritise consideration of the President’s proposal.

“The House will therefore recall the version it earlier passed, and accord the executive bill the expedited consideration that a matter of this urgency deserves,” Abbas stated.

Public hearing promised

Responding to concerns about transparency, Mr Abbas dismissed suggestions that the legislation was being rushed through the National Assembly without public participation.

He assured Nigerians that the Executive Bill would undergo public hearings and thorough legislative scrutiny before passage.

“Nothing here is concealed. The bill will pass through a public hearing and open scrutiny.”

He added that the proposed framework would contain strong safeguards to prevent abuse of state police by governors.

According to him, states would have to meet strict constitutional requirements before establishing their own police services, while accountability mechanisms and protections for fundamental human rights would be embedded in the legislation.

President Tinubu seeks security reform

President Tinubu had transmitted the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) (State Police) Bill, 2026, to the House in a letter dated 15 June, urging lawmakers to give it expedited consideration.

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 Nigeria’s growing security challenges.

According to the president, the bill builds on the work already carried out by the House while introducing additional safeguards to ensure an effective dual policing structure.

Existing proposals

Before the Executive Bill, both the House and the Senate had independently advanced constitutional amendment bills seeking to establish state police.

The House proposal, led by the Constitution Review Committee chaired by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, sought constitutional recognition of State Police Services while retaining the Nigeria Police Force as the federal policing institution.

The Senate’s version also supported state police but proposed stricter oversight mechanisms, constitutional limits on deployment, federal supervisory powers during emergencies, and clear rules on recruitment, funding, discipline and operational accountability.

Constitutional process

The Executive Bill is expected to consolidate both legislative proposals while incorporating additional recommendations from the presidential committee on decentralised policing.

If passed by the National Assembly, the constitutional amendment must secure the support of two-thirds of members of both the Senate and House of Representatives before being transmitted to the 36 State Houses of Assembly.

Under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, the amendment must also be approved by at least 24 state legislatures before becoming part of the Constitution.

The proposed legislation represents Nigeria’s most significant attempt to decentralise policing since the country’s return to democratic rule in 1999.

Supporters argue that state police would improve intelligence gathering, strengthen community policing and enhance local security responses, while critics have warned that such powers could be abused by state governments without adequate constitutional safeguards.