State Police Bill Faces Hurdle as Only Four States Approve

State Police Bill Faces Hurdle as Only Four States Approve

The push to establish state police in Nigeria is facing a fresh legislative hurdle, with only Edo, Osun, Oyo and Rivers states having so far approved the proposed constitutional amendment.

The development comes as several other State Houses of Assembly are either still studying the proposal, yet to begin deliberations or say they have not received the harmonised bill from the National Assembly.

The National Assembly transmitted the 1999 Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026 to the 36 state legislatures on September 16 for consideration and concurrence.

The state assemblies were asked to communicate their resolutions within 30 days. However, the 30-day period is an administrative target rather than a constitutional deadline.

Under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, a constitutional amendment requires the approval of at least two-thirds of the 36 state Houses of Assembly before it can proceed to the next stage.

This means at least 24 state legislatures must approve the proposed amendment.

With only four states currently on record as having approved the bill, 20 more state assemblies must give their concurrence for the constitutional threshold to be met.

In the South-West, Osun and Oyo have approved the proposal, while Ondo and Ekiti are still studying it. Ogun has constituted a committee to examine the bill before it is considered by the full House.

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The Lagos State House of Assembly has previously endorsed the establishment of state police in principle and urged the 36 state legislatures to accelerate consideration of the constitutional amendment. However, its formal approval of the latest constitutional amendment package had not been publicly confirmed.

In Osun, lawmakers passed the bill clause by clause on September 22 without amendments and began arrangements to transmit their resolution to the National Assembly.

The Oyo State House of Assembly also passed the bill after considering its provisions clause by clause at plenary. The approval made Oyo the fourth state to formally endorse the proposed amendment.

In the South-South, Rivers and Edo have approved the amendment, while Cross River has commenced consideration after the bill passed its first reading.

The Delta State House of Assembly has confirmed receipt of the bill and is consulting stakeholders before taking a position, while Bayelsa had yet to formally debate or vote on the proposal.

In Rivers, lawmakers unanimously endorsed the amendment, with Speaker Martin Amaewhule saying the proposed framework would help strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.

The proposal seeks to create a constitutional framework for State Police Services while retaining the Nigeria Police Force as the federal police service.

In the Northern states, the process has been slower. Some assemblies have received the bill but are yet to debate or vote on it, while others say the National Assembly has not formally transmitted the document to them.

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Kano, Kwara, Kebbi, Taraba and Gombe were among states that reported not having received the bill at the time of the latest checks.

Kogi had received the proposal but had yet to deliberate on it, while Yobe had received it but had not listed it for consideration. Borno had read the bill at plenary but had yet to take a position.

Plateau had commenced consideration, while Bauchi had constituted a committee to examine the proposal.

The proposed state police system is being promoted against the backdrop of persistent security challenges across Nigeria, including kidnapping, banditry, communal violence and other forms of criminality.

Supporters argue that decentralising policing would bring security operations closer to local communities, improve intelligence gathering and enable faster responses to threats.

However, concerns remain over funding, accountability, political interference and the possibility of state police being used for partisan purposes.

The proposed constitutional framework is therefore expected to address issues including national minimum policing standards and the relationship between state police services and the federal police structure.

For the amendment to move forward, the proposal must first secure the support of at least 24 of the 36 State Houses of Assembly.

With only four states having approved it so far, the proposed state police bill still faces a substantial legislative hurdle before Nigeria can move to the next stage of the constitutional amendment process.

State Police Bill Faces Hurdle as Only Four States Approve