The proposed establishment of State Police in Nigeria has moved closer to reality after 28 State Houses of Assembly approved the constitutional amendment seeking to decentralise the country’s policing structure, exceeding the constitutionally required threshold of 24 states.
The approval has paved the way for the National Assembly to begin the necessary administrative processes for transmitting the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
The Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, Esq., disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday, November 3, confirming that the 28 approvals exceeded the two-thirds requirement stipulated under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution.
According to Ogunlana, the proposed amendment was transmitted to all 36 State Houses of Assembly on September 16, 2026, for consideration and approval, with a request that their decisions be communicated to the National Assembly within 30 days.
He explained that although the stipulated period elapsed on October 15, his office would continue to receive reports from state legislatures until the Bill is transmitted for presidential assent.
The Clerk said the Office of the Clerk had undertaken administrative verification of the reports and accompanying Votes and Proceedings to establish their authenticity and ensure that they accurately reflected the decisions of the respective state legislatures.
Ogunlana also clarified that Section 9 of the Constitution does not expressly prescribe a Third Reading for a Constitution Alteration Bill, unlike the procedure applicable to ordinary legislation.
He said that, having secured the required number of state approvals, the National Assembly was undertaking the necessary administrative processes to facilitate the transmission of the Bill to Tinubu for assent in accordance with the Acts Authentication Act, CAP A2 (LFN) 2004.
The Clerk commended the State Houses of Assembly for their cooperation and response, describing the proposed amendment as a significant step towards strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture and deepening its federal system.
He assured Nigerians that his office would continue to provide accurate and timely information on developments surrounding the constitutional amendment process.
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The establishment of State Police has remained a major issue in Nigeria’s security and governance debate, particularly amid persistent insecurity, rising security challenges and calls for a decentralised policing system that would enable states to respond more effectively to local security threats.
However, the proposed amendment still requires presidential assent to complete the constitutional alteration process.
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