Twelve State Houses of Assembly together with Lagos, Kano and Ondo are but to approve the proposed constitutional modification establishing state police, at the same time as 24 states have now endorsed the reform, assembly the constitutionally required threshold for the modification to advance.
The different states but to approve the proposal are Ebonyi, Kogi, Niger, Borno, Gombe, Bauchi, Jigawa, Katsina and Sokoto.
The growth marks a major step within the push to decentralise policing in Nigeria, with the required two-thirds approval from the 36 state legislatures now attained.
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However, the excellent approvals from the 12 states increase questions concerning the tempo of legislative consideration in some elements of the nation, significantly amid persistent safety challenges and rising requires a policing system that responds extra successfully to native threats.
The 24 states which have accredited the proposed constitutional modification are Adamawa, Delta, Edo, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Taraba, Zamfara, Enugu, Anambra, Imo, Ekiti, Kebbi, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Abia, Yobe and Kaduna.
Under Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution, a constitutional alteration requires approval by resolutions of a minimum of two-thirds of all State Houses of Assembly, representing 24 of the 36 states.
The attainment of the brink marks a serious growth within the constitutional modification course of, though the required legislative and constitutional steps should nonetheless be accomplished earlier than the proposed state policing framework can take impact.
The Senate handed the proposed constitutional modification on 24 June 2026, whereas the House of Representatives handed its model on July 23. The National Assembly subsequently transmitted the proposal to the state assemblies on 16 September for consideration and concurrence.
The National Assembly had requested the state legislatures to speak their resolutions inside 30 days. However, the interval was an administrative goal relatively than a constitutional deadline.
Speaking with LEADERSHIP Sunday, a Lagos-based lawyer, Barrister Yomi Ogunsanya, mentioned the 30-day interval communicated by the Clerk to the National Assembly was meant for administrative comfort, including that its expiration didn’t invalidate the National Assembly’s passage of the proposed modification.
He mentioned the federal authorities couldn’t override the constitutional powers of state assemblies, stressing that the assemblies should train their powers in accordance with the constitutional modification process.
Ogunsanya, nonetheless, known as for constitutional safeguards to forestall governors from abusing state police powers if the proposal finally turns into regulation.
“There should also be constitutional limits on governors to prevent abuse of state police powers when the system eventually comes into effect, so that the rights of ordinary citizens are not violated,” he mentioned.
His place underscores the necessity to distinguish between the executive timetable communicated to the state assemblies and the constitutional necessities governing the modification course of.
Also talking, the manager director of Alliance for Peoples Rights, Obadofin Rotimi Adeyemi, criticised the delay by some state assemblies, alleging {that a} lack of political will amongst lawmakers had slowed consideration of the proposal.
Adeyemi expressed disappointment that the modification had remained pending in some state legislatures for weeks regardless of the nation’s safety challenges and requires a decentralised policing construction.
He alleged that some lawmakers had been reluctant to behave with out their state governors’ approval.
“The state assemblies are rubber stamps of the executive. They do not have the willpower to pass the bill without governors giving them approval to do so,” he mentioned.
Adeyemi’s criticism raises questions concerning the independence of state legislatures in contemplating a reform that will considerably alter the nation’s policing preparations.
The proposed institution of state police has remained a serious concern in Nigeria’s safety debate, with supporters arguing that decentralisation would enhance intelligence gathering, strengthen group policing and allow safety businesses to reply extra rapidly to threats.
Proponents contend that state-based policing constructions may very well be higher positioned to know native terrain, languages and group dynamics, doubtlessly enhancing responses to kidnapping, banditry, communal violence and different prison actions.
They additionally argue that state police might complement the present federal policing construction, supplied that tasks and operational boundaries are clearly outlined.
However, issues persist over the opportunity of governors utilizing state-controlled police formations to intimidate political opponents, suppress peaceable protests or intervene with residents’ elementary rights.
These issues have made accountability and operational independence central to discussions concerning the proposed reform.
Ogunsanya’s name for constitutional limits on governors underscores the significance of making certain that state police function inside clear authorized boundaries and aren’t become devices of partisan pursuits.
Potential safeguards embrace clear provisions governing the appointment and elimination of state police commissioners, recruitment requirements, funding preparations, disciplinary procedures and unbiased oversight.
There are additionally questions on how state police would cooperate with the Nigeria Police Force in investigating crimes throughout state boundaries, sharing intelligence and responding to safety threats involving a number of jurisdictions.
Funding stays one other consideration, as state governments would wish to supply assets for recruitment, coaching, gear, logistics and personnel welfare. Differences within the monetary capability of states might have an effect on the effectiveness of their policing preparations.
The proposed National Policing Bill, 2026, can also be being developed to supply a framework for the nation’s future policing system. The Presidential Working Group on National Policing reportedly submitted the draft invoice and 29 consequential modification payments to the Ministry of Justice on October 19 for legislative drafting assessment and validation.
The ministry is anticipated to return the validated drafts by 30 October, after which the working group will give them additional consideration earlier than presenting them to the President.
The National Policing Bill is separate from the constitutional modification course of. While it’s meant to supply a framework for policing administration, the constitutional adjustments required to ascertain state police should proceed via the prescribed legislative course of.
With the required 24-state threshold now reportedly met, consideration is anticipated to shift to finishing the remaining constitutional procedures and creating authorized safeguards to information the operation of state police.
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