28 State Assemblies approve constitutional amendment for State Police

The National Assembly has confirmed that 28 State Houses of Assembly have approved the proposed constitutional amendment seeking to establish state police across Nigeria.

The confirmation was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, following the verification of reports submitted by the state legislatures.

Ogunlana said the number of approvals had exceeded the constitutional requirement of two-thirds of the 36 state assemblies, representing 24 states, for the amendment to proceed.

“Following the receipt and verification of the reports, the office confirms that 28 State Houses of Assembly have approved the Bill,” he stated.

READ ALSO: State Police: Four more Assemblies back bill as support rises to 28 States

Although the deadline for submission of the reports elapsed on October 15, the Clerk said his office would continue to receive submissions from state assemblies until the bill is transmitted for presidential assent.

He explained that the National Assembly had undertaken administrative verification of the reports and accompanying Votes and Proceedings to establish their authenticity.

The confirmation comes amid discrepancies in figures previously announced by senior government and legislative officials regarding the number of states that had approved the proposed amendment.

On October 23, the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, announced that 24 state assemblies had approved the proposal.

However, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele subsequently put the number at approximately 30 states.

Bamidele had also disclosed on October 29 that the National Assembly planned to complete the remaining legislative processes and transmit the amendment to President Tinubu for assent on or before December 2026.

Ogunlana said the necessary administrative procedures were already underway to facilitate the transmission of the bill to the President.

The proposed state police framework is expected to operate alongside the existing federal policing system, with the objective of strengthening security architecture and improving responses to criminal activities across the country.

Nigeria has continued to face mounting security challenges, including banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and communal violence, intensifying calls for the decentralisation of the country’s policing system.

Proponents of state police have argued that decentralising policing would enable states to respond more effectively to local security threats, improve intelligence gathering and strengthen community-based security operations.