State police bill heads to Tinubu as 28 states back constitutional change
- The National Assembly says 28 state assemblies have approved the bill creating state police.
- That is above the 24-state threshold required under Section 9 of the constitution.
- The bill will now be sent to President Bola Tinubu for his signature.
The National Assembly says it is preparing to send the state police bill to President Bola Tinubu for assent, after 28 of the country's 36 state houses of assembly approved the constitutional change.
The Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, announced the figure in a statement on Tuesday. He said his office had received and checked reports and voting records from the state assemblies.
Twenty-eight states is four more than the 24 needed. Under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, a constitutional alteration must be backed by at least two-thirds of the 36 state houses of assembly.
What the bill does
The bill is formally titled the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill. It seeks to create state police services and deal with related matters.
The National Assembly sent the bill to the 36 state assemblies on 16 September 2026 and asked for their decisions within 30 days. That window closed on 15 October, but Ogunlana said his office will keep receiving reports until the bill is sent for assent.
He also addressed a procedural question, noting that Section 9 does not expressly require a third reading for a constitution alteration bill, unlike ordinary bills.
The National Assembly described the amendment as a significant step towards strengthening security and deepening the country's federal system.
Why it matters
Policing in Nigeria is currently controlled from Abuja through the Nigeria Police Force. Supporters of state police argue that states and communities understand their own security problems better and could respond faster to kidnapping, banditry and communal violence.
Critics have raised concerns about governors using state-controlled police against opponents, and about how the new forces would be funded and supervised.
The bill now goes to President Tinubu. If he signs it, state police services can be set up under the new constitutional arrangement. The sources did not say when the bill would reach the President or whether he has indicated how he will act on it.
