Nigeria’s plan to establish state police has moved closer to implementation after 25 State Houses of Assembly approved the 2026 Constitution Sixth Alteration Bill, meeting the constitutional threshold required for the amendment to proceed.
The approval exceeds the two-thirds majority of 24 states required under Section 9 of the Constitution for constitutional amendments.
The bill can now return to the National Assembly for transmission to President Bola Tinubu for assent. However, state police will not become operational until the necessary legal framework is completed.
Eleven states, including Lagos, Kano, Borno, Sokoto, Katsina and Niger, are yet to approve the amendment.
Chief of Staff to the President and Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, Femi Gbajabiamila, described the development as a major breakthrough in efforts to reform policing in Nigeria.
He commended the 25 state assemblies for approving the amendment and praised the National Assembly for passing the bill in both chambers.
Gbajabiamila said the approvals had provided the constitutional foundation for a dual policing system comprising the Federal Police Service and State Police Services.
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He said that the National Policing Bill, 2026, and 29 related amendment bills were undergoing legislative drafting review and validation at the Federal Ministry of Justice.
The draft bills were submitted to the Attorney-General of the Federation on October 19 for legal review.
The Ministry of Justice is expected to complete the validation process and return the bills to the working group on or before October 30 for final adjustments before they are presented to President Tinubu.
Gbajabiamila urged stakeholders to support a smooth transition to the proposed dual policing system, expressing confidence that it would strengthen security across the country.
He also expressed optimism that the remaining state assemblies would approve the amendment, citing what he described as broad national support for state police.
President Tinubu inaugurated the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill in July 2026 to develop the legal framework for implementing state police.
At the inauguration, the President explained that the constitutional amendment would establish the foundation for the dual policing system, while the National Policing Bill would provide the operational structure required to implement it.
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