By Our Reporter
The Senate has said that it will complete the amendment of the 1999 Constitution to allow the creation of State Police before the end of 2026.
Senate spokesperson, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, made this known on Friday, saying that the Upper Chamber would immediately resume work on the ongoing constitutional review once plenary reconvenes next week.
Recall that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had request the National Assembly to begin the process of amending the constitution to incorporate State Police as part of efforts to tackle the nation’s security challenges.
President Tinubu had made the request, while speaking to members of the Senate last Wednesday night during an interfaith breaking of fast at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, saying that his demand was for them "to start thinking how best to amend the constitution to incorporate the state police for us to secure our country, take over our forests from marauders, free our children from fear."
The president, while also addressing members of the House of Representatives on Friday, urged them to ensure that the proposed constitutional amendment for the creation of the State Police includes safeguards against potential abuse by governors.
He stressed that the establishment of State Police should not be “a straight free fall for everybody,” saying it must be structured with checks and balances drawn from past experiences.
Adaramodu, while pledging the Senate’s readiness to fast-track the amendment of the constitution to accommodate State Police, noted that significant groundwork had already been done on the proposal before legislative focus shifted to the electoral amendment.
He assured Nigerians that the National Assembly would treat the amendment with urgency and conclude the process before political campaigns begin ahead of the next general election.
“We are going to commence the process of reviewing the constitution for the establishment of State Police immediately we resume next week.
“We want to assure Nigerians that before the general election, we would have amended the constitution to allow for the creation of State Police. We are going to expeditiously treat the matter. We are giving our assurance that before the end of this year, the amendment will be done so that we can have the State Police.
“Before electioneering starts, we would have done and dusted it, then pass it on to Mr President for his assent,” he said.
The Senate spokesperson disclosed that consultations had been held across the country, including stakeholder meetings in the geopolitical zones and engagements with relevant sectors, adding that the committee handling the constitution review had already compiled reports and findings from the consultations.
“Before now, we had already done a lot; we went on a little break for the electoral bill, which has just been signed into law. We were under the pressure of time to deliver the electoral amendment. Then, immediately after that, we have to consider the 2026 Appropriation Bill.
"That is why we suspended plenary for just a few days. But now that we have dealt with that, we are picking the constitution review immediately,” he said.
Adaramodu described State Police as a widely supported proposal, noting that it enjoyed backing from key stakeholders in the country.
“State Police is a popular demand. The president has signed into it, the state governors too have signed into it, and the National Assembly is in love with it," he said.
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