At least five state governments, Ondo, Kaduna, Anambra, Zamfara, and Abia have expressed intentions to adopt their existing security agencies as the baseline for state police once the constitutional processes establishing decentralized policing are finalized.

The development follows significant momentum in the National Assembly, where the House of Representatives recently passed the Executive Bill seeking the establishment of state police to overhaul the nation’s centralized security architecture.

Spokespersons representing various state leaderships noted that transforming operational outfits—such as Ondo’s Amotekun, Zamfara’s Community Protection Guards, and Anambra’s Agunechemba into official state police commands would save substantial resources, leverage established local intelligence networks, and ensure a rapid transition.

Commenting on the state’s readiness, Allen Sowore, Special Adviser on Strategic Communication to Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, affirmed that the state’s Amotekun Corps is uniquely positioned to metamorphose into a full-fledged state police structure given its operational history and terrain familiarity.

Meanwhile, other sub-national entities including Bayelsa, Yobe, Sokoto, and Delta indicated they will await presidential assent and the release of uniform implementation guidelines before deciding whether to adapt existing vigilante services or build entirely new law enforcement agencies from scratch.