Nigeria’s Senate passes a landmark bill creating state police forces, marking one of the biggest security reforms since 1999.
Senate passes bill establishing state police across Nigeria
It’s official — state police is happening. The Senate has passed a constitutional amendment establishing state police forces across Nigeria, replacing the single Nigeria Police Force model with a Federal Police Service and separate State Police Services.
The bill, transmitted by President Tinubu, sailed through after the electronic voting system failed, forcing a manual vote. All 88 senators present backed it by show of hands.
To guard against abuse, governors are barred from using state police for partisan, ethnic or religious ends, and forces must meet national standards first. The Federal Police Service keeps control over terrorism, cybercrime and interstate crimes.
Vanguard reports supporters say the reform will boost local intelligence and tackle banditry and kidnapping.
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