Nigeria’s 36 state governors have intensified their push for greater constitutional authority over security operations, demanding direct command powers and guaranteed funding arrangements for the proposed State Police Services.
The demand emerged from a high-level strategic meeting convened by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Secretariat in Abuja, bringing together state Attorneys-General, legal experts, and senior security officials to harmonise proposals for a constitutional and institutional framework for state policing.
A major outcome of the meeting was the proposal for greater constitutional recognition of governors’ roles in coordinating security operations within their states, with delegates stressing the importance of recognising that role while establishing safeguards for professionalism, accountability, and operational independence.
The governors’ push comes on the heels of major legislative momentum. The House of Representatives approved a constitutional amendment bill — the Sixth Alteration Bill 2026 — with 289 lawmakers voting in support and only one abstaining, empowering governors to issue lawful directives to State Commissioners of Police on matters of public safety and law and order.
The proposed amendment seeks to establish two distinct policing structures — Federal Police and State Police — with each state expected to create its own police formation through legislation passed by its House of Assembly.
President Tinubu, while supporting decentralisation, urged the National Assembly to incorporate robust checks and balances, warning that the reform must not become a “free fall.”
The Senate has pledged to complete the constitutional amendment process before the end of 2026.
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