State Police: 25 Assemblies okay constitutional amendment

National Assembly to transmit bill to Tinubu for assent
The proposed establishment of state police in Nigeria has moved closer to implementation following the approval of the 2026 Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill by 25 State Houses of Assembly.
The number exceeds the constitutional requirement of at least 24 state assemblies—representing two-thirds of the 36 states—for the proposed amendment to proceed to the next stage.
The approvals pave the way for the National Assembly to transmit the bill to President Bola Tinubu for assent, subject to the completion of the required constitutional procedures.
Eleven states, including Lagos, Kano, Borno, Sokoto, Katsina and Niger, are yet to approve the amendment.
The Chief of Staff to the President and Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, Femi Gbajabiamila, described the development as a major milestone in the country’s efforts to reform its policing system.
He commended the 25 state assemblies for supporting the amendment and praised the National Assembly for passing the bill through both chambers.
According to Gbajabiamila, the approvals have established the constitutional basis for a dual policing arrangement comprising the Federal Police Service and state police services.
He disclosed that the National Policing Bill, 2026, alongside 29 related amendment bills, was undergoing legislative drafting, review and validation at the Federal Ministry of Justice.
The draft bills were submitted to the Attorney-General of the Federation on October 19 for legal scrutiny, he said.
The ministry is expected to complete the review and return the bills to the working group on or before October 30 for final adjustments ahead of their presentation to the President.
Gbajabiamila urged stakeholders to support the transition to the proposed dual policing system, expressing optimism that it would strengthen security across the country.
He also expressed confidence that the remaining state assemblies would approve the amendment, citing what he described as broad national support for state police.
President Tinubu inaugurated the Presidential Working Group in July 2026 to develop the legal framework for the proposed policing system.
At the inauguration, the President explained that while the constitutional amendment would provide the legal foundation for state police, the National Policing Bill would establish the operational framework for its implementation.
The proposed reform is intended to introduce state-level police services alongside the existing federal structure, amid longstanding calls for a more decentralised approach to policing and security management in Nigeria.