State police: five of 36 assemblies back amendment as policing bill nears NASS

The constitutional amendment that would let Nigeria’s states set up their own police forces has been approved by five of the 36 state Houses of Assembly, far short of the 24 it needs, Premium Times and Blueprint reported on Friday, 16 October 2026. The five are Edo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers and Zamfara.

It came a day after Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, said the separate National Policing Bill, which will set out how federal and state police would work, was almost ready to go to the National Assembly.

Why it matters

Section 214 of the 1999 Constitution allows only one police force, so states need an amendment to run their own, Blueprint noted.

The Senate says the change would let states create and maintain local forces that respond better to regional security concerns, according to the National Assembly Library Trust Fund (NALTF). Lawmakers and former police chiefs have raised concerns that governors could abuse the system, Premium Times reported.

Where do the states stand?

The Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, sent the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026 to the 36 state assemblies on 16 September 2026, the NALTF and THEWILL reported. Under Section 9 of the Constitution, at least two-thirds of them, or 24, must approve it before it can go to the President for assent.

Osun was the first to approve it, on 22 September, according to Vanguard and THEWILL. Rivers lawmakers backed it unanimously, Vanguard and THEWILL reported, and Oyo passed it on 29 September, according to THEWILL.

The National Assembly asked the states to respond within 30 days, Vanguard reported on 4 October, adding that this was an administrative target rather than a constitutional deadline. Counted from 16 September, that period ends on Friday, 16 October.

In early October, Kano, Kwara, Kebbi, Taraba and Gombe said they had not received the bill, Delta was consulting stakeholders and Ogun had set up a committee, Vanguard reported. Channels Television put the number of approvals at about six.

Senator Yemi Adaramodu, who chairs the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, said on 9 October: “We do not expect total unanimity in a nation of over 200 million people.” He added: “We are confident of achieving this threshold,” the NALTF reported.

What did Gbajabiamila say?

Gbajabiamila, who chairs the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, spoke to journalists after the group’s meeting at the State House in Abuja on Thursday, 15 October 2026. “The National Policing Bill is more or less ready for transmission to the National Assembly,” he said, adding that the group would meet once more and that “we are 90% ready”, Channels Television and Tribune reported.

“The governors have one or two observations, and we should be ready in about a week or so,” he said. Premium Times reported that the bill would reach the National Assembly in about a week, while Channels Television and Tribune said within two weeks.

He called it “the most consequential Bill of the administration so far”. On talk of pushback from states yet to approve the amendment, he said there was a “national consensus” on it, adding: “I see no reason why anyone will want to have a rethink on it.” His remarks were released by Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Channels Television reported.

Governors at the meeting included AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara, who chairs the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Dapo Abiodun of Ogun and Uba Sani of Kaduna, along with the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, Channels Television and Tribune reported.

What would state police look like?

As passed by the House of Representatives in June, the amendment would create federal and state police services and move policing to the concurrent list, so both the National Assembly and state assemblies could make laws on it, TVC News reported. Governors would appoint state commissioners of police, subject to confirmation by their state assembly, and a state force would need certification against national minimum standards before it could start work. The Federal Capital Territory would stay under the federal police.

Blueprint reported that the reforms include national standards on training, use of force, firearms, custody and complaints. The working group was set up on 7 July and drafted the bill after reviewing existing laws, including the Police Act 2020, and holding a two-week public consultation, according to Premium Times.

What happens next

At least 19 more state assemblies must approve the amendment. Gbajabiamila said the National Policing Bill would be ready once the governors’ observations were dealt with, and reports put its arrival at the National Assembly within one to two weeks.

The Senate says the amendment process will be completed during the life of the current 10th Senate, the NALTF reported.