President Bola Tinubu has asked the House of Representatives to begin the process of amending the Constitution to allow for the creation of state police, stressing that strong safeguards must be included to prevent misuse by governors.
He made the appeal on Friday night during an interfaith Iftar with members of the House at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. It was the third time within a week that the President publicly pushed for the constitutional amendment.
Tinubu warned that the establishment of state police must not be “a straight free fall for everybody,” saying the system should be carefully designed with checks and balances based on lessons from the past.
“We just have to work together to put pressure on ourselves to accept the need for state police.
“Amend it, not a straight free fall for everybody, tie it in a way that will not be abused like in the past.
“A good legislature must learn from the past to cure the present. I’m ready to work with you,” the President said.
He reminded lawmakers that security challenges are largely local and urged them to consider this reality as they deliberate on constitutional changes.
“You know more than anybody else that security is local, and if security is local, we just have to work together,” Tinubu added.
His renewed call came after similar appeals earlier in the week, first to state governors on Monday and then to the Senate on Wednesday as he intensifies efforts toward constitutional reform ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The development follows his recent acceptance of the resignation of former Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the appointment of Tunji Disu as his successor.
At Monday’s Iftar with governors, Tinubu had assured them, “What I promise you is not to be postponed. We will establish state police to combat insecurity.”
On Wednesday, while addressing senators, he urged them to “start thinking how best to amend the Constitution to incorporate state police for us to secure our country, take over our forests from marauders, free our children from fear.”
Friday’s meeting, however, was the first time he clearly outlined conditions for the proposed state police structure, acknowledging concerns that governors could abuse such powers.
By emphasising the need to learn “from the past,” he referred to experiences during Nigeria’s First Republic when regional police forces were allegedly used to intimidate political opponents and silence dissent.
Critics of state police have long argued that governors might weaponise state-controlled security agencies for political persecution, election manipulation, or personal vendettas.
Creating state police would require a constitutional amendment, which must be approved by a two-thirds majority in both chambers of the National Assembly and ratified by at least 24 of the 36 state Houses of Assembly.
Tinubu also praised lawmakers for backing his administration’s economic reforms, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira.
“I’m glad we’re out of the dark tunnel. It was very difficult at the beginning for people to realise the direction of my thinking, but I’m glad what happened with the heat from the critics, none of you came to me to say, can you reverse the removal of subsidy, or can you change the foreign exchange flotation of naira?” he said.
He commended the legislators for standing together despite what he described as “high voltage” criticism from opponents of the reforms.
“None of you, you collaborated, you joined together as a team. You just gave me the inspiration to move on, because the heat was high voltage from the critics, but today, we are better off for it,” Tinubu stated.
The President also thanked Speaker Tajudeen Abbas for his leadership, describing him as “a very good team leader.”
“I heard the speaker. I thought I would charge you to pay for the dinner.
“Nevertheless, you indirectly paid for it. You spoke very well.
“The shade of the representation here tonight represents the consciousness and the richness of your leadership,” he said.
Addressing insecurity, Tinubu admitted that challenges remain across the country, noting that he has seen some lawmakers visiting their constituencies to confront security issues.
“The next side is the area of insecurity. We are still working very hard on those too.
“I see some of you on television going to their localities and facing challenges,” he added.
Nigeria continues to battle multiple security threats, including insurgency in the North-East, banditry in the North-West, widespread kidnapping, and separatist agitations in the South-East.
The National Assembly is currently on recess and is expected to resume plenary in March 2026.
Friday’s Iftar marked the third interfaith breaking of fast hosted by the President this week, following similar gatherings with governors on Monday and senators on Wednesday.