The Anambra State House of Assembly passed a bill seeking to amend relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution to pave the way for the establishment of state police in Nigeria.
The bill passed through its first, second and third readings during plenary in Awka on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, marking a step towards decentralising policing in the country.
The executive bill, which originated from the Presidency, seeks to establish a constitutional framework that would allow states to operate their own police services, subject to constitutional provisions and minimum national policing standards prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly.
Under the proposed framework, the Nigeria Police Force would remain responsible for policing in a state until a state police service is lawfully established and certified as operational.
The bill also retains the Federal Government’s policing responsibilities across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The proposed legislation includes provisions on civilian oversight, human rights protection, national policing standards, independent police service commissions and cooperation between federal and state authorities.
It also addresses criminal information systems and firearms control, while providing for exceptional federal intervention in state policing where there is institutional breakdown, serious incapacity, threats to national security or grave abuses.
At Tuesday’s plenary, presided over by the Speaker, Dr Somtochukwu Udeze, lawmakers adopted the bill through a voice vote.
Following its passage, Udeze said the Assembly had fulfilled its constitutional responsibility and directed the Clerk of the House to transmit the resolution to the National Assembly.
The passage represents Anambra’s legislative step in the broader process of securing the constitutional changes required to establish state police.
Majority Leader backs decentralised policing
The Assembly’s Majority Leader, Ikenna Ofodeme, described state police as necessary, arguing that many security challenges originate at the grassroots and require swift local responses.
He dismissed concerns that state police could be abused, maintaining that the arrangement would allow state authorities to respond more quickly to security threats instead of waiting for directives from the Inspector-General of Police.
Ofodeme said decentralised policing could strengthen efforts to tackle insecurity and create employment opportunities for young people.
He also argued that state police could reduce the pressure on the military, which is frequently deployed to support the police in addressing internal security challenges.
The lawmaker suggested that local vigilantes could be integrated into the policing structure after receiving appropriate training, improving security at the community level.
He maintained that bringing policing closer to residents would enable faster responses to threats and improve security across the state.
