President Bola Tinubu has urged the National Assembly to begin the process of amending Nigeria’s constitution to create legal backing for state-level police forces, a move he says is crucial to tackling rising insecurity across the country.
Speaking during an interfaith breaking-of-fast event with members of the Senate at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, President Tinubu emphasized that decentralizing policing powers could help address terrorism, banditry and insurgency more effectively at the local level.
“Nigeria is extremely challenged,” Tinubu said, adding that state police forces would help secure remote areas, counter criminal activities, and “free our children from fear.”
The proposed reform would require changes to the 1999 Constitution, including approval by two-thirds of both chambers of the National Assembly and ratification by at least 24 of Nigeria’s 36 state legislatures a significant legislative undertaking.
President Tinubu also used the occasion to highlight his administration’s broader policy achievements, including economic reforms such as fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange liberalization, which he said have contributed to greater economic stability.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio welcomed Tinubu’s call, reaffirming cooperation between the executive and legislature and reiterating the importance of unity in addressing the nation’s security and governance challenges.
