State Police Reform Gains Momentum as Five More Assemblies Back Bill
By Fact Harbour News
Nigeria’s proposed state police reform has recorded further progress as five additional state Houses of Assembly approved the constitutional amendment bill, while a presidential working group submitted a draft National Policing Bill to the Federal Ministry of Justice for review.
The development marks another stage in efforts to establish a dual policing structure that would comprise a Federal Police Service and State Police Services, potentially changing how security is managed across the country.
The state assemblies that backed the amendment are Ogun, Delta, Plateau, Kwara and Adamawa. Their decisions followed earlier approvals by the assemblies of Edo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers and Zamfara.
In Adamawa State, lawmakers approved 24 of the 26 clauses considered during an emergency sitting, rejecting two clauses. The approved provisions are to be transmitted to the National Assembly for further consideration.
In Delta State, all 23 lawmakers present voted in support of the proposed amendment. The Ogun and Kwara assemblies also endorsed the measure, while Plateau lawmakers adopted their committee’s recommendations in favour of the proposed reform.
The constitutional amendment seeks to provide the legal foundation for state police services while retaining a federal police structure. Supporters say decentralising policing could improve local intelligence gathering, strengthen responses to security threats and bring law enforcement closer to communities.
However, the proposal must satisfy the constitutional amendment requirements before it can become law. Under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, an alteration requires approval by at least two-thirds of the 36 state Houses of Assembly, equivalent to 24 states, after passage by the National Assembly.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, chaired by President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, has submitted the draft National Policing Bill 2026 and 29 consequential amendment bills to the Federal Ministry of Justice.
According to the Presidency, the submission was made on October 19, 2026, for legislative drafting review and validation. The ministry is expected to return the reviewed documents to the working group on or before October 30.
The working group will then consider the validated drafts before presenting them to President Tinubu for further action and possible transmission to the National Assembly.
The proposed National Policing Bill is intended to provide the operational and legislative framework for the proposed federal and state policing arrangement. The drafting exercise is taking place alongside the ongoing constitutional amendment process.
The Senate passed the constitutional amendment bill on June 24, 2026, while the House of Representatives approved it on July 23. The bill was subsequently transmitted to the state assemblies on September 16 for their consideration.
Despite the recent approvals, the proposed reform still requires the necessary number of state legislative resolutions to meet the constitutional threshold.
The proposal has generated debate over how state police would be funded, supervised and held accountable. While supporters believe locally administered police services could improve responses to crime, critics have raised concerns about possible political interference, human rights abuses and the potential misuse of security agencies by state authorities.
The final outcome will depend on the completion of the constitutional approval process and the subsequent legislative steps required to establish an operational state policing system.
