As killings, mass kidnappings and violent attacks continue to escalate across the country, several state Houses of Assembly have begun preliminary steps to debate the creation of state police, a key reform President Bola Tinubu recently urged the National Assembly to legalise through ongoing constitutional amendments.
Nigeria’s overstretched central policing system, with fewer than 400,000 officers for over 200 million citizens, has left many communities exposed to bandits, terrorists and kidnapping gangs.
Last week, Tinubu declared a security emergency and directed an acceleration of security recruitment, while urging lawmakers to provide constitutional backing for state police. Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu confirmed that the proposal will soon move to the 36 state assemblies.
In Plateau, one of the states hardest hit by recurring violence, lawmakers signalled readiness to support state-level policing to halt the persistent bloodshed across Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, Bassa, Mangu, Riyom and other communities.
Sokoto, Borno, Zamfara and Kano assemblies also indicated willingness to debate or support the measure once formally transmitted, with some states already operating community guard frameworks that could transition into state police structures.
Kaduna’s Governor Uba Sani again warned that Nigeria’s centralised policing system can no longer secure rural communities, while Zamfara said it would soon forward its own state police bill.
In Ondo, lawmakers argued that the state already operates a functional model through the Amotekun Corps, which has been expanded with recent recruitment.
