State police may soon become a reality, as 24 states approve constitutional amendments (Full list)

Efforts to establish a state police system in Nigeria will soon become a reality as the 24 Houses of Representatives have approved the provisions of a constitutional amendment for the establishment of the system.

These developments met constitutional requirements of which two-thirds of them paved the way for a decentralized police system to allow the establishment of a state-controlled police force alongside the existing federal police structure.

The Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill announced the development on Friday, and described the approval as an important milestone in reforming Nigeria’s police architecture.

In a statement signed by its Chairman and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, the group said the Constitution (Sixth Amendment) Bill, 2026, has received approval from 24 of the 36 State Assemblies, meeting the constitutional requirements for passage.

The group praised state legislatures for supporting the reform, and also acknowledged the National Assembly for securing the amendment’s passage in the Senate and House of Representatives.

According to the statement, successful ratification by the necessary number of state assemblies means the constitutional amendments can now return to the National Assembly to then be forwarded to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for approval.

“In accordance with Article 9 of the Constitution, the amendments can now be returned to the National Assembly to be submitted to Mr President for approval,” the statement said.

The working group explained that, once the constitutional process is complete, the amendments will provide the legal basis for the dual policing arrangements envisaged in the 2026 National Police Bill.

The report notes that this constitutional breakthrough will strengthen efforts to build a policing framework that allows federal and state police institutions to operate within clear constitutional and legal boundaries.

The group also said that work on accompanying legislation is progressing on schedule, with the draft National Policing Bill and related legislative proposals currently undergoing review and validation at the Federal Ministry of Justice.

It said that the Ministry is expected to complete the exercise and return the draft law to the working group on or before Friday, October 30, 2026.

Following the review, the group will give final consideration to the proposed legislation before formally presenting the package to President Tinubu for further action.

“The Working Group’s efforts remain on track. The Federal Ministry of Justice is currently reviewing and validating the draft law and is expected to return it on or before Friday, October 30, 2026.

“After that, the Group will give final consideration before submitting it to Mr President,” the statement added.

The group called on political leaders, security agencies and other stakeholders to support the implementation process, stressing the importance of an orderly transition to a policing arrangement that can more effectively address the country’s security challenges.

“The Working Group urges all stakeholders to support a smooth transition to a dual policing system that makes Nigerian society safer”, it said.

The 24 states that have approved the bill are:
Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, Kebbi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara states.

Kano State is scheduled to hold a plenary session, while Bauchi and Katsina states held their plenary sessions at the committee review stage in their respective Houses of Assembly.

Likewise, Abia, Borno, Ebonyi, Kogi, Ondo and Sokoto states have received the draft law and are waiting, while there is no latest news from Jigawa, Lagos and Niger states.