Twenty-four state Houses of Assembly have approved the proposed constitutional amendment to establish state police, meeting the constitutionally required threshold for the legislation to advance, while 12 states are yet to conclude deliberations.
The development followed a fresh wave of approvals on Wednesday and Thursday, with Kaduna and Abia among the latest states to endorse the proposal.
Of the 24 approving states, 14 are in the South and 10 in the North. The states yet to approve the bill are Lagos, Ondo, Ebonyi, Kogi, Niger, Borno, Gombe, Bauchi, Jigawa, Katsina, Kano and Sokoto.
Under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, a constitutional amendment requires the approval of at least two-thirds of the 36 state Houses of Assembly, representing 24 legislatures, before proceeding to the next stage.
The National Assembly transmitted the Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, to the state legislatures on September 16, requesting their concurrence.
Although the National Assembly set a 30-day administrative target for the states to communicate their resolutions, the period is not a constitutional deadline. The state assemblies are expected to submit their inputs by October 29.
Kaduna, Abia endorse proposal
The Kaduna State House of Assembly on Thursday unanimously approved the proposed amendments to 15 sections of the Constitution to pave the way for state police.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Henry Marah, disclosed this while briefing journalists on the Assembly’s proceedings.
Marah said the proposed policing system would strengthen community security, improve the protection of lives and property, and create employment opportunities for young people.
He argued that the existing centralised policing structure limits the ability of state governments to hold police authorities directly accountable for security failures.
According to him, state police would provide a legal framework for community-based security initiatives and improve responses to banditry and other crimes.
He added that the Assembly would enact appropriate laws to regulate the operations and welfare of state police personnel once the constitutional amendment takes effect.
Marah also assured that funding would be prioritised, even if the state had to reduce spending on other projects.
“Without security, you cannot even go to the farm or go to work,” he said, stressing that protecting lives should take precedence over infrastructure development.
In Abia State, the Deputy Speaker, Austin Nmeregini, initially revealed that lawmakers had endorsed the bill during an executive session and were preparing to pass it at plenary.
He later confirmed that the Assembly had passed the bill unanimously.
Ebonyi, Ondo yet to complete process
The Speaker of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Moses Ije Odunwa, said lawmakers had begun deliberations on the bill and were close to completing the process.
He said the proposal was intended to strengthen the protection of lives and property in the state and across the country.
Odunwa recalled that Ebonyi had supported the establishment of state police during the National Assembly’s constitutional review consultations.
“We have started deliberating on the bill, and we are very close to its passage,” he said.
In Ondo State, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Olatunji Oshati, said the draft had been distributed to all 26 lawmakers for study and input ahead of further deliberations.
He assured that the Assembly would conclude the process soon, adding that the members were expected to decide on the bill during plenary on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Gombe State House of Assembly had yet to formally receive the bill for consideration, according to the Chairman of its House Committee on Appropriation, Aliyu Baba Manu.
The Deputy Speaker also said he was unaware of the bill.
In Kogi State, the Assembly had received the document but had yet to schedule a debate. The lawmakers had adjourned to attend an international conference in Rwanda.
Lagos Assembly to reconvene next week
The Lagos State House of Assembly is also yet to approve the proposed amendment, but the Chairman of its Committee on Information and Strategy, Stephen Ogundipe, said the lawmakers would reconvene next week to consider it.
Ogundipe explained that the Assembly was currently on recess but would resume plenary to take the necessary legislative action.
He did not provide further details on the specific provisions of the bill.
Presidential working group advances policing bill
Separately, the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill has submitted the draft National Policing Bill, 2026, alongside 29 consequential amendment bills, to the Ministry of Justice for legislative drafting review and validation.
In a statement by the Chief of Staff to the President and chairman of the working group, Femi Gbajabiamila, the group said it had completed the drafting stage of its assignment.
The proposed constitutional amendment seeks to replace the single Nigeria Police Force with a Federal Police Service and State Police Services.
The Ministry of Justice is expected to return the validated drafts to the working group by October 30. The group will then conduct a final review before presenting the bills to President Bola Tinubu.
Gbajabiamila said the process was progressing alongside the ongoing consideration of the constitutional amendment by state legislatures, whose concurrence is required before the bill can advance further.
On October 15, he said the policing bill was 90 per cent ready and would be transmitted to the National Assembly on October 29.
The Senate passed the bill on June 24, after which the House of Representatives also approved it. Tinubu inaugurated the seven-member Presidential Working Group on July 7, while its steering committee began work on August 3.
Full list of states that have approved the bill
North (10): Adamawa, Kwara, Nasarawa, Plateau, Taraba, Zamfara, Kebbi, Benue, Yobe and Kaduna.
South (14): Delta, Edo, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Rivers, Enugu, Anambra, Imo, Ekiti, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River and Abia.
States yet to approve the bill
South (3): Lagos, Ondo and Ebonyi.
North (9): Kogi, Niger, Borno, Gombe, Bauchi, Jigawa, Katsina, Kano and Sokoto. /First reported by Vanguard