The National Assembly has transmitted the State Police Bill to President Bola Tinubu for assent after receiving approval from 30 State Houses of Assembly, advancing the proposed establishment of state police services in Nigeria.
The development was announced during Wednesday’s plenary after Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau read a notice from the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana.
The notice indicated that the National Assembly had received approval reports from 29 state assemblies as of the close of business on Tuesday, November 3.
However, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele subsequently announced that 30 state assemblies had approved the proposed constitutional amendment.
The approvals exceed the constitutional requirement of at least 24 out of the 36 State Houses of Assembly, representing two-thirds of the states.
30 States Approve State Police Bill
The states that have approved the proposed amendment are Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.
According to Bamidele, the constitutional amendment process requires passage by the National Assembly, approval by at least two-thirds of the state legislatures and presidential assent.
He explained that the 30 approvals had satisfied the constitutional requirement for state-level concurrence.
Senate Gives Six States Until November 15
Despite the progress, the Senate has given the remaining six State Houses of Assembly until November 15 to communicate their positions on the proposed amendment.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio appealed for additional time to enable the outstanding state legislatures to respond.
The Senate unanimously adopted the position, with Akpabio indicating that any state assembly that fails to communicate its decision by the deadline would be deemed to have withheld its approval.
What the State Police Bill Seeks to Achieve
The proposed constitutional amendment seeks to establish State Police Services alongside the existing federal policing structure.
If signed into law, the amendment would provide the constitutional framework for individual states to establish and operate their own police services.
The proposal is part of ongoing efforts to decentralise policing and strengthen Nigeria’s response to security challenges, including kidnapping, banditry, terrorism and communal violence.
The development follows the passage of the proposed amendment by the Senate on June 24, 2026, and the House of Representatives on July 23, 2026.
The bill was subsequently transmitted to the 36 State Houses of Assembly on September 16 for consideration and approval.
With the required state-level endorsement secured, presidential assent is the next major stage in the constitutional amendment process.
