The Niger State Police Command has rescued two children, aged eight and 12, after they were allegedly taken along with their father’s vehicle in Suleja, while a separate case involving a woman accused of cutting her husband’s genitals during a domestic dispute has been brought before a court in Minna.

The two incidents were disclosed by the command’s spokesperson, SP Wasiu Abiodun, on Friday, October 23, 2026.

In the Suleja incident, the children were reportedly left inside their father’s vehicle while he went into a nearby shop to photocopy documents. When he returned, both the vehicle and the children were missing.

The father subsequently reported the incident at Maje Police Station, prompting officers to launch a search operation.

Police officers reportedly interviewed security personnel at a nearby school and ordered patrols along the Abuja–Kaduna highway. The vehicle was later found abandoned along the highway, with both children still inside.

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The children were rescued unharmed. They reportedly told investigators they had fallen asleep while waiting for their father to return. Police recovered the vehicle and said investigations into the incident were continuing.

In a separate case in Minna, 28-year-old Safiya Tukur was arraigned after allegedly inflicting a deep cut on her husband’s genitals during a domestic dispute.

According to the police, the incident occurred at the couple’s residence in the Darusalam area of Kpagungu on October 15, following a misunderstanding that escalated into a physical fight.

Abiodun said a complaint was received at Kpakungu Police Division after the incident. The woman was subsequently arrested, while her husband was taken to General Hospital, Minna, for treatment.

The police spokesperson said the suspect admitted during interrogation to injuring her husband during the altercation. She was charged to court and remanded, with proceedings in the case continuing.

The police did not provide further details about the husband’s medical condition.

The two cases highlight separate policing concerns in Niger State: the safety of children and the need for prompt responses to reports of abduction, as well as the investigation and prosecution of alleged domestic violence.

The command has said investigations into the children’s case are ongoing. Further details about the court proceedings in the domestic violence case were not immediately available.

Nigeria’s plan to establish state police has crossed a major constitutional hurdle, with 25 State Houses of Assembly reportedly approving the proposed amendment to the 1999 Constitution, paving the way for the next stage of the legislative process.

The development marks a significant step towards restructuring the country’s policing system to accommodate both a Federal Police Service and State Police Services.

Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, announced on Friday, October 23, that the required constitutional threshold had been met.

The working group had initially confirmed approval by 24 state assemblies, the minimum two-thirds of the 36 states required under Section 9 of the Constitution. Subsequent reports on Saturday indicated that the number had risen to 25.

The states reported to have approved the amendment are Adamawa, Delta, Edo, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Taraba, Zamfara, Enugu, Anambra, Imo, Ekiti, Kebbi, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Abia, Yobe, Kaduna and Gombe.

The constitutional amendment has already passed through the Senate and the House of Representatives before being transmitted to the state legislatures for consideration.

With the required number of state assemblies backing the proposal, the amendment can proceed through the remaining constitutional steps, including its return to the National Assembly for transmission to President Tinubu for assent.

However, meeting the approval threshold does not mean state police have begun operating. Further legislative action and the development of an implementation framework are still required before the proposed system can become operational.

Gbajabiamila said the approval provides constitutional backing for the framework being developed under the draft National Policing Bill 2026. He commended the state assemblies for supporting the proposed reform and acknowledged the National Assembly’s role in passing the amendment.

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The Presidential Working Group had earlier completed drafting the proposed National Policing Bill alongside 29 consequential amendment bills and submitted the documents to the Federal Ministry of Justice on October 19 for legislative drafting review and validation.

The ministry is expected to return the reviewed documents by October 30. The working group will then consider the validated drafts before presenting them to the President.

The proposed legislation is designed to establish the legal and administrative framework for a dual policing structure, defining the responsibilities of federal and state police services, as well as arrangements for their operations, funding, supervision and accountability.

Supporters of state police in Nigeria argue that decentralising law enforcement could improve local intelligence gathering, strengthen community policing and enable officers to respond more quickly to threats such as kidnapping, banditry, terrorism and communal violence.

They also contend that officers familiar with local communities may be better positioned to identify security risks and work with residents to prevent crime.

However, the proposal has generated concerns about the possibility of political interference, particularly the risk of governors using state police against political opponents or critics. Questions have also been raised about funding, human rights protections, recruitment standards and mechanisms for investigating misconduct.

The effectiveness of the proposed system will therefore depend not only on its legal establishment but also on clear safeguards to ensure professionalism, independence, accountability and respect for citizens’ rights.

Although the constitutional amendment has crossed the required threshold, the next stages of legislation and implementation will determine when and how states can establish their own police services alongside the federal force.