President Bola Tinubu has forwarded a Constitution Alteration Bill seeking the creation of state police to the Senate, marking a major step toward restructuring Nigeria’s security system.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the development during Tuesday’s plenary, stating that lawmakers would begin consideration of the bill on Wednesday.

Akpabio added that state assemblies had also indicated their readiness to consider the proposal once it is transmitted to them.

The bill seeks amendments to relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution to provide a legal framework for establishing state police across Nigeria.

The move follows President Tinubu’s repeated calls for constitutional changes that would allow states to take a more active role in securing their territories.

In February, the President urged the National Assembly to support the creation of state police, describing it as a necessary step toward addressing terrorism, banditry and other security challenges.

During his Democracy Day address, Tinubu vowed that terrorists, bandits and their sponsors would face the full force of the law, stressing that security threats would not be tolerated.

The President also claimed that over 13,000 terrorists had been neutralised within one year, while noting a decline in terrorism-related deaths.

However, he admitted that the continued abduction of schoolchildren in parts of Oyo and Borno states remained a reminder of ongoing security concerns.

The state police proposal has received growing attention as both chambers of the National Assembly continue efforts toward constitutional amendments aimed at decentralising policing powers.

Lawmakers are expected to advance discussions on the bill as the government pushes for one of the country’s most significant security reforms since the return to democracy.