The National Assembly has started the process of transmitting the proposed State Police constitutional amendment bill to President Bola Tinubu for assent, after receiving approval from 28 State Houses of Assembly. This development marks a significant step towards establishing state police in Nigeria, with the number of approving state legislatures exceeding the required two-thirds majority. The proposed amendment aims to establish State Police Services, allowing individual states to operate their own police formations.
The 28 approvals exceed the constitutionally prescribed threshold of 24 states, representing two-thirds of the 36 state legislatures required for constitutional alteration. Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, confirmed that his office had received and verified reports of the approvals from 28 state legislatures. The necessary administrative arrangements are underway to facilitate the transmission of the bill to President Tinubu for assent in accordance with the Acts Authentication Act.
The proposed constitutional amendment was transmitted to all 36 State Houses of Assembly on September 16, 2026, for consideration and approval. The state legislatures were initially requested to communicate their decisions to the National Assembly within 30 days, with the deadline expiring on October 15, 2026. However, Ogunlana clarified that the expiration of the deadline would not prevent his office from receiving further reports from state assemblies before the bill was transmitted for presidential assent.
Ogunlana's office has conducted administrative verification of the reports and accompanying Votes and Proceedings to establish their authenticity and confirm that they accurately reflected the decisions of the respective state legislatures. The Office of the Clerk has undertaken the necessary administrative verification to ensure that the records accurately reflect the decisions taken by the state legislatures.
The proposed amendment seeks to alter the 1999 Constitution to provide for the establishment of State Police Services and related matters, creating the constitutional framework for individual states to establish and operate their own police formations within their jurisdictions. Nigeria currently operates a centralised policing system through the Nigeria Police Force, with policing authority largely vested in the Federal Government.
The agitation for state police has intensified over the years amid persistent security challenges, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery and other violent crimes across the country. Several governors, political leaders and security stakeholders have advocated decentralisation of the police system, arguing that state-controlled police formations would strengthen local responses to security threats and complement the operations of federal security agencies.
The National Assembly has acknowledged the cooperation of the state legislatures in considering the proposed amendment, describing their responses as an important step towards strengthening the country's security framework and deepening federalism. The proposed amendment has featured prominently in wider discussions on constitutional reforms, restructuring and the need to strengthen Nigeria's security architecture.
Key points
- The National Assembly has begun transmitting the proposed State Police constitutional amendment bill to President Bola Tinubu for assent, following approval from 28 State Houses of Assembly.
