Twenty-four State Houses of Assembly have approved the proposed constitutional amendment to establish state police, meeting the minimum requirement for the reform to advance to the next legislative stage. The Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, chaired by the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, announced this on Friday, saying the approvals satisfied the threshold for altering the 1999 Constitution. Section 9(2) requires the support of at least two-thirds of the 36 Houses of Assembly.
The approving states are Adamawa, Delta, Edo, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Taraba, Zamfara, Enugu, Anambra, Imo, Ekiti, Kebbi, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Abia, Yobe and Kaduna. By zone, the South-South leads with six states. The South-West, South-East and North-Central have four each, while the North-East and North-West have three each.The Sixth Alteration Bill, 2026, passed the Senate on June 24 and the House of Representatives on July 23. It was transmitted to the state assemblies on September 16.
It proposes a dual structure of a Federal Police Service and State Police Services. The Federal Police retain exclusive jurisdiction over national security, terrorism, cybercrime and inter-state crimes, while state forces cannot operate outside their states. No state force may begin operations until it is established by state law and certified as meeting national minimum standards. The bill empowers the president to take temporary command of a state force in cases such as a breakdown of public order, serious incapacity, or evidence of rights violations or partisan intimidation. Such takeovers require written authorisation, notice within 48 hours, Senate validation, and remain subject to judicial review.
Police chiefs at both levels would enjoy security of tenure and could be removed only for stated cause by a two-thirds legislative vote. Directives to arrest or target named persons or parties are barred. The National Assembly must now verify the resolutions and transmit the bill to the president for assent. Operational legislation and state enabling laws are still required, so state police cannot start immediately. Critics have raised concerns about possible abuse by governors, funding, recruitment, and accountability.
