State Police: 28 States Approve Constitutional Amendment, National Assembly Set to Transmit Bill to Tinubu

The National Assembly has commenced the final administrative process to transmit the constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish State Police in Nigeria to President Bola Tinubu for assent.

The Clerk of the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, disclosed this in a statement, confirming that 28 State Houses of Assembly have approved the proposed amendment.

The development means the bill has secured the constitutionally required support of at least 24 out of the 36 State Houses of Assembly, representing two-thirds of the states.

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According to Ogunlana, his office has received and verified approval reports from the 28 state legislatures, including their votes and proceedings, to authenticate their decisions.

He explained that the National Assembly had transmitted the constitutional amendment bill to the State Houses of Assembly on September 16, 2026, requesting that their resolutions be communicated within 30 days.

Although the stipulated period elapsed on October 15, Ogunlana said his office would continue to receive responses from other state legislatures until the bill is transmitted to the President.

“The Office of the Clerk to the National Assembly wishes to inform the general public that it has received reports from 28 State Houses of Assembly indicating their approval of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, seeking to provide for the establishment of State Police Services and related matters,” the statement said.

He noted that the 28 approvals exceeded the constitutional requirement of not less than two-thirds of the 36 State Houses of Assembly, equivalent to 24 states, as stipulated under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution.

Ogunlana further clarified that Section 9 of the Constitution does not expressly require a Third Reading for a Constitution Alteration Bill, unlike the procedure applicable to ordinary bills.

He said the necessary administrative procedures were being completed to facilitate the transmission of the bill to President Tinubu for assent in accordance with the Acts Authentication Act, CAP A2, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

The proposed establishment of State Police is expected to introduce a new security structure that would allow state governments to maintain their own police services alongside the existing federal police system.

The development comes amid longstanding calls for the decentralisation of Nigeria’s policing structure, particularly over concerns about insecurity, kidnapping, banditry and the capacity of the centralised police system to effectively address security challenges across the country.

The National Assembly expressed appreciation to the State Houses of Assembly for their cooperation and timely responses, promising to keep Nigerians informed about further developments in the constitutional amendment process.

Newsworld | Henryrich Ojo