24 state assemblies back state police amendment, presidency says
- Twenty-four state Houses of Assembly have approved the Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, clearing the two-thirds threshold.
- The presidency's working group on policing says the amendment now returns to the National Assembly for transmission to President Tinubu.
- Draft National Policing Bill is at the Federal Ministry of Justice and is due back by 30 October.
At least 24 state Houses of Assembly have voted in favour of the Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, the presidency's working group on policing announced on Friday. That clears the two-thirds mark of the 36 states required to change the constitution.
The amendment creates the legal room for policing to be shared between the Federal Government and the states, a shift from the current arrangement where the Nigeria Police Force operates as a single national body.
Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu and chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, signed the statement. He thanked the state lawmakers for acting on what the group called a reform of national importance, and also acknowledged the National Assembly for passing the bill in both chambers.
For the ordinary Nigerian, the vote is a step, not the finish line. Nothing changes on the street yet: the police you call today remain the same until the President signs the amendment and the enabling law takes effect.
What happens next
Under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, the approved amendment goes back to the National Assembly, which then sends it to the President for assent.
The working group said its draft National Policing Bill, 2026, which will set out how the dual system actually works, is being reviewed and validated at the Federal Ministry of Justice. The drafts are expected back on or before Friday, 30 October 2026, after which the group will take a final look before presenting them to President Tinubu.
Gbajabiamila said the group's work "remains on track" and asked stakeholders to back "a smooth transition to a dual policing system that makes Nigerians safer."
Supporters of state police argue that governors and communities know their own security problems best, especially in areas hit by kidnapping, banditry and communal clashes. Critics worry about governors using their own police against opponents, and about how the new forces will be funded and supervised.
The sources did not say which 24 states approved the bill, and did not give a date for the President's assent.
