Nigeria’s long-running effort to introduce State Police has moved closer to reality following the approval of the proposed constitutional amendment by 28 State Houses of Assembly.

The development clears a major constitutional requirement and puts the bill on the path to President Bola Tinubu for consideration and final assent.

Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, announced the development in a statement on Tuesday, confirming that the number of approving state legislatures had surpassed the two-thirds requirement stipulated by Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution.

The bill was initially forwarded to all 36 state assemblies on September 16, 2026, for consideration. The legislatures were given until October 15 to communicate their decisions.

Although the required number of approvals has been obtained, Ogunlana explained that his office would continue to accept reports from state assemblies before completing the transmission process.

He also addressed questions surrounding the legislative procedure, noting that the Constitution does not specifically make a Third Reading compulsory for constitutional amendment bills, unlike ordinary legislation.

With the approval threshold now met, the National Assembly is expected to complete the necessary documentation and forward the bill to Tinubu for presidential assent.

If signed into law, the amendment will provide the constitutional backing for individual states to establish and manage their own police forces, introducing a major change to Nigeria’s existing security structure.

The move is expected to reshape policing in the country, particularly as concerns continue to grow over insecurity and calls for a more decentralised approach to tackling crime.