The Senate on Wednesday advanced efforts to reform Nigeria’s security architecture by approving a constitutional amendment bill aimed at establishing state police across the federation.

The proposed legislation scaled a major legislative hurdle after senators examined and adopted all 26 clauses during deliberations in the Committee of the Whole. Its passage moves the proposal closer to becoming part of the Constitution, subject to the completion of other constitutional amendment procedures.

The bill seeks to provide a legal and constitutional basis for individual states to create and manage their own police services while maintaining the existing federal policing structure under the Nigeria Police Force. Advocates believe the move will strengthen security at the grassroots level and improve responses to local threats.

The Senate’s action followed the submission of a Constitution Alteration Bill by President Bola Tinubu to the National Assembly. The President urged lawmakers to amend relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution to formally accommodate the creation of state police.

Calls for decentralised policing have intensified in recent years, with governors, legislators, security professionals and civil society groups arguing that the current centralised system has struggled to effectively address growing security challenges such as terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery and communal conflicts.

The House of Representatives had previously endorsed the proposal after a majority of members voted in support of the constitutional amendment.

Officially titled the “Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026,” the legislation seeks to revise sections of the Constitution dealing with law enforcement and policing.

Supporters of the initiative contend that state police formations would be better positioned to tackle crime because officers operating within their local communities possess deeper knowledge of the terrain and can respond more rapidly to security threats.

Despite securing Senate approval, the amendment has not yet become law. It must still receive the constitutionally required endorsement from state Houses of Assembly across the country before it can be forwarded for final assent and implementation.