The Senate has assured Nigerians that the law to create state police will be ready before Christmas.

The assurance came on Monday after the Ondo State House of Assembly passed the Constitution Alteration Bill to establish State Police Services, making it the 25th state to approve the proposal.

Chairman of Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, told The PUNCH that the 10th National Assembly is determined to conclude the process before embarking on Christmas break.

“Before we even leave for Christmas, it would have been done. We have promised Nigerians a new police law,” Adaramodu said.

Earlier, 24 other state assemblies including Osun, Adamawa, Delta, Edo, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ogun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Taraba, Zamfara, Enugu, Anambra, Imo, Ekiti, Kebbi, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Abia, Yobe and Kaduna had passed the bill, meeting the constitutional requirement of 24 states.

The bill seeks to alter Section 214 of the 1999 Constitution to replace the existing Nigeria Police Force with a Federal Police Service and State Police Services.

The Presidential Working Group chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, has also submitted the draft National Policing Bill 2026 and 29 other related amendment bills to the Ministry of Justice for legislative review.

Senator Victor Umeh, representing Anambra Central, said state police has become necessary because Nigeria is too large for a single central police command.

“We cannot continue to have one central police force to provide security to Kebbi, Calabar, Sabon Gari and Ikot Abasi. We must decentralise to get nearer to the grassroots,” Umeh said.

According to him, state police will improve intelligence gathering because officers will be indigenes who understand their communities and local security challenges.

The Senate said it will verify all documents sent by the state assemblies and hold a conference before final passage, adding that enforcement of security laws will be more effective with state police on ground.