President Bola Tinubu has called on the leadership of the 10th Senate to amend the constitution to create a legal framework for state police, declaring the reform vital to tackling Nigeria’s deepening insecurity.
The president made the appeal on Wednesday during an interfaith breakfast with senators at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu said decentralised policing is now “imperative” to confront terrorism, banditry and insurgency.
“We are facing terrorism, banditry and insurgency. But we will never fail to make a right response,” Tinubu told lawmakers.
He urged senators to begin constitutional amendments that would formally incorporate state police into Nigeria’s security architecture. According to him, a decentralised system would complement federal security agencies, strengthen intelligence gathering and promote community-focused law enforcement.
“What I will ask for tonight is for you to start thinking how best to amend the constitution to incorporate the state police for us to secure our country, take over our forests from marauders and free our children from fear,” he said.
The president stressed that unity between the executive and legislature remains critical in confronting insecurity. He commended the Senate for what he described as a harmonious working relationship with his administration.
Tinubu also thanked lawmakers for backing key economic reforms, including the removal of fuel subsidy and tax restructuring policies. He described the subsidy regime as a hub of “monumental corruption” and defended his government’s foreign exchange reforms.
“We don’t want to participate in monumental corruption and arbitrage foreign exchange,” he said, adding that the country is now enjoying economic stability.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio praised Tinubu’s leadership and reforms, saying they have boosted revenues available to states for infrastructure development. He also prayed for peace and prosperity across the country.
Tinubu has consistently listed the creation of state police as a central objective of his administration, arguing that Nigeria’s security realities require structural reform.
