Nigeria Proposes Constitutional Amendment to Establish State Police Forces

The Nigerian National Assembly has initiated a constitutional amendment process to allow individual states to establish their own police forces. The proposed Sixth Alteration Bill, 2026, aims to decentralize the current federal policing system, which supporters argue will improve security by placing officers with local knowledge closer to communities facing violence, terrorism, and kidnapping. To become law, the amendment requires approval from at least 24 of Nigeria’s 36 state assemblies.

National Assembly Clerk Kamoru Ogunlana stated that the reform is a response to widespread public concern regarding national security. If enacted, state-controlled police would operate alongside the existing federal Nigeria Police Force. This shift is viewed as a significant development for regions in northern and central Nigeria, where Christian communities have frequently been targeted by armed groups and militant networks. While the reform is intended to enhance protection in remote areas, some critics have expressed concern that separate, pending legislation could simultaneously restrict the operations of humanitarian and religious organizations that document human rights abuses.