President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has formally written to the Senate, urging lawmakers to amend the 1999 Constitution to establish State Police across the country as part of efforts to tackle rising insecurity.

In a direct appeal during an interfaith breakfast meeting with senators at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, President Tinubu described the move as urgent and necessary to strengthen grassroots security, improve intelligence gathering, and enable faster responses to threats at the state level.

“What I will ask for tonight is for you (Senators) 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,” the President said.

The request aligns with ongoing legislative efforts. The National Assembly is fast-tracking a constitutional alteration bill that would decentralize policing, allowing states to establish and manage their own police formations while maintaining coordination with the federal Nigeria Police Force.

Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele has indicated strong support for the initiative, noting broad consensus among President Tinubu, state governors, and other stakeholders. The Senate is expected to prioritize the amendment in its sessions.

If passed by both chambers of the National Assembly, the bill would require approval by at least two-thirds of Nigeria’s state assemblies before it can be transmitted to the President for assent.

The push for State Police has been a long-debated reform aimed at addressing the limitations of the centralized policing system, which many critics argue is overstretched and ill-equipped to handle region-specific security challenges such as banditry, kidnapping, and insurgency.

This development marks a significant step in President Tinubu’s administration’s security architecture overhaul.

DSS prosecuting lawyer, Oluwole Aladedoye (SAN) announced on Tuesday the closure of the ongoing trial of former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai for alleged eavesdropping of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.

The Department of State Services (DSS) is prosecuting El-Rufai on a five-count charge in which he is among others, accused of admitting during a television interview, that he intercepted the phone conversations .

Following Aladedoye’s announcement, defence lawyer, Paul Erokoro (SAN) said his client plans to file a no-case submission.

Erokoro said the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence before the court to establish its case against the defendant.

He then, asked the court for two weeks within which to the written submission. Aladedoye also sought two weeks to respond, while the defence got additional days to reply on point of law.

President Bola Tinubu has appointed former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, as the new Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Universities Commission (NUC).

The appointment was announced in a statement issued by Presidential Spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, in Abuja.

Professor Ogundipe takes over from Emeritus Professor Olufemi Aina, who resigned from the position less than a year after his appointment. Aina was appointed in July 2025, while members of the NUC Governing Board were inaugurated in November of the same year.

A distinguished academic and Professor of Botany, Ogundipe served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos from 2017 to 2022. He is widely recognized for his contributions to molecular plant taxonomy, ethnobotany, ecological conservation, and related fields.

The new NUC chairman holds a Ph.D. in Botany from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and an MBA from the University of Lagos. He currently serves as Pro-Chancellor of Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State.

Professor Ogundipe is a fellow of several prestigious professional bodies, including the Nigerian Academy of Science, the Linnean Society of London, and the Royal Society of Biology, London. He has also held leadership positions in the Botanical Society of Nigeria and the Lagos State Science, Research and Innovation Council.

President Tinubu expressed confidence in Ogundipe’s capacity to provide strategic leadership for the NUC. He charged the new chairman to strengthen quality assurance, improve access and funding, and promote integrity and global competitiveness within Nigeria’s university system in line with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.