State Police Bill: Only 4 States Approve as Others Delay Decision

Nigeria’s proposed State Police Bill is facing delays across several state Houses of Assembly, with only four states having approved the constitutional amendment as of October 4.

Edo, Osun, Oyo and Rivers have backed the proposal. However, many other states are still studying the bill, while some say they are yet to receive the document from the National Assembly.

The development could slow down one of the Federal Government’s major proposed changes to Nigeria’s security architecture.

The National Assembly transmitted the 1999 Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026 to the 36 state Houses of Assembly on September 16.

Lawmakers were asked to communicate their decisions within 30 days. However, that period is an administrative target rather than a constitutional deadline.

Under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, at least 24 of the 36 state Houses of Assembly must approve a constitutional amendment before the process can move forward.

With only four states currently backing the State Police Bill, another 20 states must approve it to reach the required threshold.

South-West states take different positions

The proposed State Police Bill has received mixed responses across the South-West.

Osun and Oyo have approved the amendment, while Ondo, Ekiti and Ogun are still considering the proposal.

In Ondo, lawmakers have received the bill and distributed it to the 26 members of the Assembly for study.

The House has also indicated that it will consider the proposal under matters of urgent public importance before sending its position to the National Assembly.

Ekiti lawmakers have also received the document but have yet to begin formal deliberations.

In Ogun, lawmakers have created a committee to examine the bill before it is considered by the full House.

Lagos State has already expressed support for the idea of state police. However, the formal approval of the constitutional amendment remains unclear.

The Lagos Assembly had earlier backed the decentralisation of policing and called on other state legislatures to speed up the process.

However, there was no publicly confirmed record, at the time of the report, showing that Lagos had formally approved the full constitutional amendment package.

Osun and Oyo approve State Police Bill

Osun became one of the first states to approve the proposed constitutional amendment.

The Osun State House of Assembly passed the bill clause by clause on September 22 without changing its provisions.

The resolution was subsequently prepared for transmission to the National Assembly.

Oyo also approved the proposal after lawmakers considered the bill clause by clause.

The Oyo Assembly passed the measure after its third reading, bringing the state into the group supporting the constitutional reform.

The proposal would provide a constitutional framework for states to establish their own police services while retaining the Nigeria Police Force as the federal police service.

Rivers and Edo back constitutional amendment

In the South-South, Rivers and Edo have approved the State Police Bill.

The Rivers State House of Assembly unanimously endorsed the amendment after lawmakers considered the proposal at plenary.

The proposed framework would allow states to establish police services through legislation while maintaining a federal policing structure.

Edo lawmakers also approved the constitutional amendment.

Members who spoke during the debate argued that state police could strengthen security at the community level and improve the response to local security challenges.

Cross River, meanwhile, has started considering the proposal after its first reading.

Delta State has confirmed receiving the bill but is consulting stakeholders before deciding its position.

Bayelsa had yet to formally debate or vote on the proposal at the time of the report.

Northern states yet to make major progress

The State Police Bill is also moving slowly across much of Northern Nigeria.

Some state assemblies said they were yet to receive the document, while others have received it but have not started formal debate.

Kano, Kwara, Kebbi, Taraba and Gombe were among the states that reported delays in receiving the bill.

Kogi has received the proposal but had not yet debated it.

Yobe received the bill on September 29 but had not listed it on the Order Paper for consideration.

Borno lawmakers have received and read the bill but have yet to take a position.

Nasarawa also confirmed receipt of the document and said lawmakers would study it before deciding on the next steps.

Zamfara and Sokoto have received the proposal but had not commenced formal debate.

Bauchi has taken a further step by creating a committee to examine the bill and submit its report to the House.

Plateau is among the Northern states where formal consideration has already started.

South-East assemblies yet to approve bill

Most South-East state Houses of Assembly have also yet to formally debate the State Police Bill.

In Anambra, lawmakers had not commenced consideration of the proposal, although the five South-East Speakers had previously expressed support in principle for state policing.

Abia is expected to consider the bill when lawmakers resume from recess on October 6.

Enugu had yet to formally introduce or debate the proposal.

The Imo State House of Assembly also did not consider the bill during its most recent sitting after returning from its annual recess.

Ebonyi, however, has confirmed receipt of the proposal and promised to give it accelerated consideration.

Why 24 states are needed

The State Police Bill cannot become part of Nigeria’s Constitution simply because the National Assembly has approved it.

Section 9 requires constitutional amendments to receive approval from at least two-thirds of the state Houses of Assembly.

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That means 24 out of the 36 state legislatures must approve the proposal.

The National Assembly passed the State Police constitutional amendment before transmitting it to the states in September.

Therefore, the next major hurdle is securing enough support across the state assemblies.

The National Assembly has set an administrative 30-day window for the states to communicate their positions. However, failure to meet that target does not automatically terminate the constitutional amendment process.

State Police reform faces crucial test

The slow response from many state assemblies highlights the challenge facing the proposed restructuring of Nigeria’s policing system.

Supporters of state police argue that policing should be brought closer to communities because state-level authorities may respond more effectively to local security threats.

The proposal has also attracted debate over accountability, political influence, funding, recruitment and the relationship between state and federal police authorities.

The constitutional amendment therefore represents only the first major step. If enough states approve it, further legislation and institutional arrangements would still be required to establish functioning State Police Services.

For now, the reform remains short of the required threshold.

With only four states recorded as having approved the proposal in the latest report, 20 additional state Houses of Assembly must still give their concurrence before the constitutional requirement is met.

The coming weeks will therefore be critical for determining whether Nigeria’s long-running push for state police can move to the next stage.