Only five of Nigeria's 36 state Houses of Assembly had approved the proposed constitutional amendment to establish state police as of Thursday, October 15, 2026, leaving the bill well short of the threshold required to advance the reform.
The state legislatures of Edo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers and Zamfara each passed the amendment, which seeks to decentralise Nigeria's policing structure and create a constitutional basis for state-level police services. The remaining 31 assemblies had not returned a verdict, with many still reviewing the bill, engaging stakeholders, or yet to schedule formal debates.
Constitutional Threshold and Deadline
According to The Punch, under Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution, any alteration to the constitution must receive the approval of at least two-thirds of all state Houses of Assembly, which means 24 of the 36 states must pass the bill before it can be sent to the president for assent. With only five states on board, the proposal remains far from that mark.
The National Assembly transmitted the bill to state legislatures on September 16, 2026, following its passage by the Senate on June 24 and the House of Representatives on July 23. State assemblies were given 30 days to communicate their positions, a window that closed on October 16.
Despite that deadline passing, the House of Representatives leadership had not issued any formal statement on the outcome of the exercise or outlined the next steps for the legislative process.
States That Approved the Amendment
The Edo State House of Assembly was among the first to pass the bill, signalling support for a decentralised policing model. Lawmakers in the state argued that local police would be better positioned to address the specific security challenges facing Edo communities.
Osun State's assembly approved the amendment, with members expressing confidence that state police, if properly governed, would improve response times to criminal activity. The assembly noted that community policing structures already existed at the local level and could be formalised under the new framework.
The Oyo State House of Assembly backed the proposal, with legislators citing the need for a security architecture that reflects the realities of each state rather than relying solely on a centralised federal force. Supporters within the assembly pointed to persistent incidents of crime in both urban and rural parts of Oyo as justification.
Rivers State lawmakers passed the bill amid ongoing security concerns in the Niger Delta region. The assembly's approval was seen as a reflection of longstanding calls from southern states for greater control over local law enforcement.
Zamfara State, which has faced severe banditry and armed attacks in recent years, approved the amendment. Legislators argued that state police would allow the government to mobilise and deploy security personnel more rapidly in response to localised threats.
What the Amendment Proposes
Beyond creating state police services, the bill provides for a Federal Police Service to continue operating alongside them. Each state would be empowered to establish its own police force through state legislation, with provisions covering administration, oversight and accountability mechanisms for personnel.
Supporters of the reform say that decentralised policing would allow states to craft security responses suited to their environments. Critics, however, have raised concerns that state police could be weaponised by governors against political opponents or minority groups.
The failure to reach the 24-state threshold means the bill cannot proceed to the president for assent, leaving the future of state police in Nigeria uncertain as the legislative process awaits further direction.
