NASS sends state police bill to 36 assemblies and gives lawmakers 30 days

The National Assembly has forwarded the Constitution Amendment Bill, 2026, including the proposed establishment of state police services, to the 36 state Houses of Assembly for consideration and approval.

The broadcast, made on Wednesday by the Clerk of the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, marks a crucial milestone in the constitutional process of establishing a dual police structure in Nigeria.

State legislatures were directed to consider the bill according to their respective legislative procedures and communicate their resolutions to the National Assembly within 30 days of receipt.

Ogunlana, however, clarified that the 30-day period is an administrative deadline and not a constitutional deadline, as the 1999 Constitution does not prescribe a specific period within which the state Houses of Assembly must respond to draft constitutional amendments. �

Under Article 9 of the 1999 Constitution, a constitutional amendment requires the approval of not less than two-thirds of the 36 state Houses of Assembly.

That means at least 24 state legislatures must approve the relevant constitutional change before the process can move forward.

The broadcast therefore places state legislatures at the center of the next phase of the State Police debate, where each Assembly will independently decide on the proposal and communicate its decision to the National Assembly.

The National Assembly said it recognized the constitutional responsibilities and independence of state legislatures and urged them to follow their respective legislative procedures in considering the bill.

According to Ogunlana, the 30-day administrative deadline was designed to facilitate an orderly and coordinated conclusion of the amendment process.

He said the National Assembly will take the next necessary steps after receiving the resolutions of the various State Houses of Assembly.

The proposed amendment seeks to introduce a dual policing arrangement comprising the federal police service and the state police services.

Under this framework, individual States would have the power to establish State Police services through laws passed by their respective Houses of Assembly, subject to constitutional provisions and national minimum standards.

State police services would have responsibility for such areas as enforcing state laws, maintaining public safety and order, preventing and detecting crimes within their jurisdictions, and protecting life and property.

The Federal Police Service, however, would retain responsibility for federal police functions and continue to police a state until its state police service becomes operational.

The proposed framework also provides national minimum standards covering recruitment, training, certification, appointment, promotion, discipline, use of force, firearms, custody, reporting, criminal intelligence, intergovernmental cooperation, public reporting and accountability.

The safeguards are intended to provide common standards across the country while allowing states to operate their own police services.

The latest development follows months of legislative activity on the proposed restructuring of Nigeria’s policing architecture.

As the process began, the House of Representatives and Senate considered proposed constitutional changes to allow State Police services. The Policy and Legal Advocacy Center noted that the two chambers initially had different versions of the proposal, making harmonization necessary before the measure could move to state legislatures.

The proposal also received support from the Presidency, with the administration presenting decentralized policing as part of broader efforts to respond to Nigeria’s security challenges.

Channels Television reported that the current framework is intended to bring police closer to communities while maintaining federal responsibility for areas such as national security and other issues that require nationwide coordination.

However, the process of constitutional amendment remains incomplete. Approval by the 36 state Houses of Assembly is a separate constitutional requirement, and the proposal will need the prescribed level of state consensus before it can take next steps.

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