The proposed constitutional amendment to establish state police in Nigeria has secured the required legislative backing from state assemblies, with 28 states now confirmed to have approved the bill, according to Business Day.
The National Assembly disclosed this in an official communication issued on Tuesday by its Clerk, Kamoru Ogunlana, following weeks of differing figures from government and legislative officials over the number of states that had endorsed the proposal.
The confirmation brings clarity to the process after Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele had separately announced that 30 states had approved the amendment, while Presidential Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila earlier put the figure at 24.
Ogunlana said the verified approvals exceeded the constitutional requirement of 24 state legislatures, representing two-thirds of the 36 states, for an amendment of this nature to advance under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution.
The proposed legislation, known as the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, is designed to establish State Police Services as part of efforts to decentralise policing and strengthen security across the country.
The Clerk explained that the amendment bill was forwarded to all 36 State Houses of Assembly on September 16, with an initial 30-day period given for their decisions to be communicated to the National Assembly.
Although the deadline expired on October 15, Ogunlana said his office would continue to receive state resolutions until the document is formally forwarded for presidential assent.
He added that the National Assembly had examined the submissions, including the accompanying Votes and Proceedings, to ensure that each approval was authentic and accurately represented the position of the respective legislature.
The confirmation also comes amid expectations that the amendment could reach President Bola Tinubu before the end of December 2026, a timeline earlier indicated by Bamidele, who said the National Assembly was working towards completing the remaining stages of the process.
Ogunlana further clarified that the Constitution does not specifically require a third reading for constitutional alteration bills, distinguishing them from ordinary legislative proposals.
With the required number of state approvals secured, the National Assembly has commenced the administrative procedures necessary to transmit the amendment to the President in line with the Acts Authentication Act.
The proposed state policing arrangement is expected to introduce a decentralised security structure alongside the existing Nigeria Police Force, against the backdrop of persistent threats such as kidnapping, terrorism, banditry and communal violence.
