The proposed constitutional amendment aimed at establishing decentralized state policing across Nigeria faces a critical timeline, with only five of the country’s 36 State Houses of Assembly having passed the legislation into law.As of October 16, 2026, official legislative tracking indicates that the state assemblies of Edo, Rivers, Oyo, Osun, and Zamfara are the sole state legislatures that have formally voted in favor of the bill.
The remaining 31 state assemblies are yet to take a definitive position, with many currently conducting stakeholder consultations, public hearings, or committee evaluations.
Under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), any proposed alteration to the constitution transmitted by the National Assembly requires concurrent approval from at least two-thirds of all state legislatures—meaning at least 24 State Houses of Assembly must pass the bill before it can proceed to presidential assent.
The proposed amendment seeks to create a federal structure allowing states to establish and maintain their own police services alongside the existing Nigeria Police Force.
Under the framework, the National Assembly retains oversight to prescribe baseline operational standards, while empowering individual state governments to institute additional administrative guidelines tailored to localized security challenges.
National Assembly leaders have reiterated their commitment to seeing the constitutional amendment through to completion once the mandatory statutory threshold is met across the federation.
Speaking on the progress of the transmitted bill, federal legislative authorities noted:”We are still waiting after transmitting to the states. We only need 24 State Houses of Assembly to consent. That’s two-thirds of 36. So, once we get that, we will go ahead and promulgate.”
Security analysts and civil society organizations have closely monitored the legislative process, noting that while sub-national security pressures remain high, fiscal sustainability, political control, and operational boundaries remain key factors influencing the delayed votes in several northern and southern state assemblies.
With 19 state approvals still required to meet the constitutional threshold, public attention now shifts to the remaining 31 state assemblies as parliamentary debates resume across the geopolitics of the country.
You Might Also Like
