ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Senate has defended the recently passed Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) (State Police) Bill, 2026, describing the proposed constitutional amendment as a necessary response to Nigeria’s worsening security crisis rather than a politically driven initiative.
The upper chamber said the legislation emerged from years of extensive consultations and constitutional review, insisting that its objective is to strengthen security across the country through a dual policing structure.
In a statement issued on Sunday by the Directorate of Media and Public Affairs of the Office of the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele described the bill as “a child of necessity and not of political expediency.”
The House of Representatives passed the State Police Bill on June 11, 2026, while the Senate approved it on June 24, 2026, marking a significant milestone in the push to establish state police across Nigeria.
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According to Bamidele, the worsening security situation across the country has made the establishment of state police an urgent national priority that should not be viewed through partisan political lenses.
He explained that the proposal did not originate recently but evolved through years of constitutional amendment processes and wide-ranging consultations with relevant stakeholders.
“Observations have shown that Nigerians largely welcome the passage of the Bill with a conviction that it will significantly de-escalate the country’s security conditions at the sub-national level,” he said.
Bamidele disclosed that the proposal formed part of memoranda submitted to the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution before undergoing extensive consultations because of its