State Police Bill Enters Decisive Stage As 36 Assemblies Receive Constitutional Amendment

State Police Bill Enters Decisive Stage as 36 Assemblies Receive Constitutional Amendment Nigeria’s long-running push to establish state police has entered a crucial constitutional stage following the transmission of the Constitution Sixth Alteration Bill, 2026, to all 36 State Houses of Assembly for consideration and approval. The National Assembly transmitted the bill on Wednesday, September 16, in accordance with Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, moving the proposed state police framework to the state legislatures. Under the constitutional amendment process, at least two-thirds of Nigeria’s 36 State Houses of Assembly 24 assemblies must approve the proposed alteration before the process can advance. The state legislatures are expected to consider the bill according to their respective legislative procedures and communicate their resolutions to the National Assembly. The National Assembly has indicated an administrative timeframe of 30 days for the assemblies to communicate their positions. However, the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, clarified that the 30-day period is not a constitutional deadline, as the Constitution does not prescribe a specific timeframe for state assemblies to respond. The constitutional alteration includes the proposed establishment of state police, which would introduce a decentralised policing structure alongside the existing Nigeria Police Force. The State Police Establishment Bill is the constitutional alteration proposal that has been passed by both chambers of the current National Assembly. The Senate passed the executive bill in June, while the House of Representatives subsequently passed it in July. The proposed framework has attracted attention amid continuing debates over policing, insecurity and the distribution of security responsibilities between the Federal Government and the states. The Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures has said the proposed amendments will be subjected to legislative scrutiny once the formal documents are received. Conference Chairman Emomotimi Guwor also indicated that the Speakers intend to engage the Nigeria Governors’ Forum on the proposed state policing framework before the state legislatures take their final positions. The National Assembly, meanwhile, has stressed that the state legislatures are constitutionally independent and that the transmission of the bill is not intended to dictate how they should vote The immediate stage is consideration by the 36 State Houses of Assembly. For the constitutional amendment to clear the state-level requirement, at least 24 states must approve it. Following receipt of the states’ resolutions, the National Assembly will take the next steps required under the Constitution before any proposal requiring presidential assent can proceed. The outcome of the state-level deliberations will therefore determine whether the proposed constitutional framework for state police can move further through the amendment process.