Twenty-four state houses of assembly have passed the constitutional amendment bill establishing state police in Nigeria, meeting the two-thirds threshold required to advance the proposal to the next stage of the legislative process. The approved resolutions will now be returned to the National Assembly, and once confirmed, the amendment will proceed for presidential assent, creating the constitutional basis for State Police Services to operate alongside a Federal Police Service.
States That Have Approved the Amendment
The 24 states that have passed the bill are Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, Kebbi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara. Kano is scheduled for a plenary vote, while Bauchi and Katsina remain at the committee review stage. Six states — Abia, Borno, Ebonyi, Kogi, Ondo, and Sokoto — have received the bill but have not yet acted on it. Jigawa, Lagos, and Niger have provided no public update on their positions.
The legislative progress marks a significant step toward decentralising Nigeria's policing system, which has been a subject of national debate for years. The two-thirds threshold, which requires at least 24 of the 36 states to approve, was met exactly, reflecting a narrow but sufficient consensus among the state legislatures.
What Comes Next for State Police
Constitutional approval alone does not bring state police into operation. After the National Assembly confirms the resolutions and the president signs the amendment, a separate National Policing Bill must be finalised by the Ministry of Justice, presented to the president, and then passed by the National Assembly. This legislation will set minimum standards, certification rules, oversight structures, funding arrangements, and operational guidelines for any state that wishes to establish its own police service.
Each state must also pass its own law creating the State Police Service. Beyond legislation, no state can deploy its own officers until it has been formally certified as meeting the national minimum standards. The certification process is designed to ensure that constitutional change does not automatically translate into operations on the ground — states must qualify before any actual policing begins.
Once a state receives certification, its State Police Service may commence. Federal coordination, routine inspections, accountability mechanisms, and provisions for federal intervention remain in place throughout. This layered approach ensures that while states gain autonomy, national standards and oversight are preserved.
