The Kogi State House of Assembly has passed a constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish state police services, paving the way for the state’s position on decentralised policing and improved grassroots security.
The bill was passed on Tuesday during plenary in Lokoja after its second reading, a lead debate by the House Leader, Dr. Suleiman Abdulrazak, and a clause-by-clause consideration by the Committee of the Whole.
Speaker of the House, Aliyu Yusuf, described the session as historic, saying it provided lawmakers with an opportunity to formally express Kogi State’s position on the proposed decentralisation of police operations.
He said the establishment of state police had remained a major issue in national policy discussions for decades, amid persistent calls from civil society organisations, community leaders and political stakeholders for reforms to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.
The constitutional amendment proposal originated from President Bola Tinubu and was transmitted to state assemblies after being passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives for ratification in line with Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
Yusuf said state police would enable state governments to recruit personnel with local knowledge and a better understanding of their communities’ security challenges, complementing the operations of the Nigeria Police Force.
“The structure of the State Police will ease and facilitate response time and will limit bureaucracies that often stand against successful operations of the Nigeria Police Force,” the Speaker said.
He added that the proposed system could also create employment opportunities for young people through recruitment into state-level policing services.
During the debate, lawmakers unanimously supported the bill, citing its potential to strengthen community-based law enforcement, reduce pressure on federal police personnel and provide jobs for local youths.
The bill was subsequently passed through a unanimous voice vote.
In a separate legislative matter, the Assembly also advanced a bill seeking to repeal the Bureau of Lands Law, 2025, and re-enact the Bureau of Lands (Establishment) Law, 2026, after it passed its second reading.
