Nigeria’s National Assembly says 28 state legislatures have approved a constitutional amendment to create state police, surpassing the 24-state threshold needed for the proposal to advance. The development clears the way for the bill to be sent to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
The Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, announced the development on Tuesday. He said reports and voting records received from the State Houses of Assembly had been checked to confirm their authenticity and ensure they reflected the legislatures’ decisions.
Under Section 9 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, a constitutional amendment requires approval by at least two-thirds of the 36 State Houses of Assembly—equivalent to 24 states. With 28 approvals recorded, the proposal has exceeded that requirement.
The legislation is formally titled the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill. It seeks to provide for the establishment of State Police Services and related matters, marking a significant step in the long-running debate over decentralising policing in Nigeria.
The National Assembly transmitted the bill to all 36 State Houses of Assembly on September 16, 2026, for consideration. The state legislatures were initially expected to communicate their decisions within 30 days, with the deadline set for October 15.
Despite the initial deadline, Ogunlana said the National Assembly would continue receiving responses from state assemblies until the bill is transmitted for presidential assent. This suggests that additional states may still submit approvals before the next stage.
The clerk explained that the verification process covered both the approval reports and the accompanying votes and proceedings from each state legislature. The aim, according to the statement, was to ensure that the documents accurately represented the decisions taken by the respective assemblies.
Ogunlana also addressed the legislative procedure for constitutional amendments. He clarified that Section 9 of the Constitution does not expressly require a third reading for a Constitution Alteration Bill, unlike the process generally applied to ordinary legislation.
The approval by 28 states represents a major milestone for advocates of state policing, who argue that locally controlled forces could improve security responses, intelligence gathering, and accountability across Nigeria’s diverse regions. The proposal now moves closer to presidential consideration, though its final implementation would depend on the terms of the amendment and subsequent legal and administrative arrangements