State police bill secures approval of 24 state assemblies
The proposed constitutional amendment to establish state police in Nigeria has secured the approval of 24 state Houses of Assembly, meeting the two-thirds threshold required for constitutional alteration.
The Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed this in a statement on Friday.
Gbajabiamila said the Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, which provides for a dual policing system, had received the necessary endorsement from two-thirds of the country’s 36 state legislatures.
“The Working Group commends the State Houses of Assembly for their decisive action on this reform of national importance and appreciates the National Assembly for passing the amendment in both chambers,” the statement said.
According to the group, the approval satisfies the requirement under Section 9 of the Constitution, allowing the amendment to return to the National Assembly for transmission to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
The proposed reform seeks to establish a dual policing structure comprising a Federal Police Service and State Police Services, with the aim of strengthening security operations and improving responses to local security challenges.
Gbajabiamila explained that the draft National Policing Bill, 2026, alongside 29 consequential amendment bills, had been submitted to the Federal Ministry of Justice for legislative drafting review and validation.
He said the ministry was expected to complete its review and return the documents to the working group by Friday, 30 October 2026.
The review is intended to ensure that the proposed legislation complies with established drafting standards and does not conflict with existing laws.
Following the review, the working group will give the bills final consideration before presenting them to the President.
The group urged stakeholders to support the proposed transition, saying the reform was intended to strengthen public safety across the country.
Although the constitutional amendment has secured the required state legislative approvals, the proposed policing framework will still require completion of the remaining constitutional and legislative processes before implementation.