The Yobe State House of Assembly has approved a proposed constitutional amendment to establish state police services, joining the national debate over decentralising policing and strengthening responses to security challenges.
The decision was reached on Thursday during the Assembly’s consideration of constitutional amendment proposals transmitted by the National Assembly for state legislatures to review and vote on.
Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Chiroma Buba Mashio, said the proposed amendments had been forwarded to state assemblies for consideration in accordance with the constitutional alteration process.
He explained that the state police proposal seeks to create a constitutional framework allowing states to establish their own police services alongside the existing Nigeria Police Force.
“The proposed establishment of state police is aimed at providing a constitutional framework that will enable states to maintain their own police services alongside the existing Nigeria Police Force,” Mashio said.
The proposal forms part of wider discussions on reforming Nigeria’s security architecture amid persistent concerns about the ability of the existing policing structure to respond effectively to threats across the country.
Supporters of state police argue that state-level services could improve local intelligence gathering, strengthen community engagement and enable law enforcement agencies to respond more quickly to crimes within their jurisdictions. The proposal would also create a framework for states to maintain policing institutions alongside the federal service.
However, the establishment of state police requires a constitutional amendment and cannot take effect solely through an individual state assembly’s approval. The proposed alteration must receive the support required under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution before the constitutional process can be completed.
The state legislature’s decision therefore represents an endorsement of the proposal, rather than the immediate establishment of an operational Yobe State Police Service.
Mashio said the proposal was part of ongoing national discussions aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s capacity to address emerging security threats. The Assembly considered the proposal among 26 constitutional amendment bills covering various provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
Yobe’s endorsement adds to the number of state legislatures supporting the proposed reform. The final outcome will depend on the completion of the constitutional approval process across the states and the subsequent legal steps required to implement the change.
The development marks another stage in efforts to determine whether Nigeria’s policing structure should be expanded to include state-level services operating alongside the federal police.
Deborah Adeyefa
