State Police Proposal Advances as Nigerian Assemblies Back Constitutional Reform

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By Simpson Global Media News Desk

ABUJA, Nigeria  Wednesday, October 21, 2026

Nigeria’s proposal to establish state police has gained fresh momentum, with more state assemblies approving the constitutional amendment and a presidential working group submitting a draft National Policing Bill, 2026, alongside 29 related amendment bills for review.

The developments mark two parallel steps in the proposed restructuring of Nigeria’s policing system: state legislatures are considering the constitutional changes required to permit state police services, while the Federal Government’s working group is preparing the accompanying legal framework.

The Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill submitted the draft legislation to the Federal Ministry of Justice on Monday, October 19, for legislative drafting review and validation. The State House announced the development on Tuesday, October 20, saying the ministry was expected to return the validated bills by Friday, October 30. <Cite refs={["turn695542search0","turn695542view1"]}/>

The proposed reform would create a dual policing structure comprising a Federal Police Service and State Police Services. Supporters argue that decentralising policing could improve local intelligence gathering and response to security threats, while concerns remain about political interference, accountability, funding and the protection of citizens’ rights.

The constitutional amendment has not yet completed the approval process. At least 24 of Nigeria’s 36 state assemblies must approve the relevant constitutional changes before the proposal can advance to the next stages. <Cite refs={["turn695542search4","turn695542news12"]}/>

More state assemblies approve the proposal

Several state legislatures have approved the constitutional amendment in recent days, intensifying the push to meet the constitutional threshold.

Reports published on October 20 and 21 identified approvals in states including Kwara, Nasarawa, Ogun, Delta, Taraba, Cross River, Plateau and Enugu. Edo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers and Zamfara had also been reported among states that endorsed the proposed changes. <Cite refs={["turn695542search2","turn695542search4","turn695542view1"]}/>

In Nasarawa State, lawmakers unanimously approved the 26 clauses of the Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, during plenary in Lafia on Tuesday. Speaker Danladi Jatau directed the Clerk of the House to communicate the resolution to the National Assembly. <Cite refs={["turn695542search1"]}/>

The Enugu State House of Assembly also backed the proposal on Tuesday. Speaker Uche Ugwu said the reform could help address security challenges by enabling a policing arrangement closer to communities. <Cite refs={["turn695542search4"]}/>

In Benue State, the House of Assembly passed a constitutional amendment bill supporting the establishment of state police services during plenary on October 20. The state’s Federal Information Centre report said lawmakers viewed the proposed arrangement as a way to strengthen intelligence gathering and improve responses to threats such as kidnapping and banditry. <Cite refs={["turn695542search6"]}/>

However, reports published during the rapidly changing legislative process have given different totals for the number of state assemblies that have approved the proposal. Premium Times reported 12 approvals on October 21, while The Guardian reported 13. Other reports also documented additional approvals. The exact current total should therefore be confirmed against official communications from the state assemblies and the National Assembly rather than treated as settled from a single report. <Cite refs={["turn695542search1","turn695542search2","turn695542search6"]}/>

The decisive benchmark remains 24 state assemblies. Even with the recent approvals, the proposal still requires further state-level support before the constitutional process can be completed.

Presidential working group submits draft National Policing Bill

The legislative push is taking place alongside work by the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill.

According to the State House, the working group completed the drafting stage and formally submitted the National Policing Bill, 2026, together with 29 consequential amendment bills, to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice on October 19.

The Ministry of Justice is expected to review the documents to ensure they meet legislative drafting standards and do not conflict with existing laws. The validated drafts are due to return to the working group by October 30, after which the group will conduct a final review before presenting them to President Bola Tinubu.

The State House said the proposal is intended to provide the constitutional and legislative framework for a policing system with federal and state services. The draft legislation is part of a wider process and is not, by itself, evidence that state police forces have already been established. <Cite refs={["turn695542search0"]}/>

The working group’s submission follows an earlier update on October 15, when Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila said the bill was about 90 per cent ready and that the process was nearing completion. <Cite refs={["turn695542search5"]}/>

The current review is a necessary step before the draft can proceed through the remaining political and legislative stages. The exact content of the final bills and any amendments made during the review will matter for determining how the proposed system would operate in practice.

What the constitutional amendment would change

Nigeria’s policing system has traditionally been centrally organised through the Nigeria Police Force, with operational command and major institutional authority concentrated at the federal level.

The proposed constitutional amendment seeks to alter Section 214 of the 1999 Constitution to provide for a Federal Police Service and State Police Services. The objective is to establish a constitutional basis for states to create their own police services alongside the federal structure. <Cite refs={["turn695542view1","turn695542news12"]}/>

Under the proposed model, state police could give state authorities greater capacity to respond to local security needs. Supporters say state-level services could improve familiarity with local communities, strengthen intelligence gathering and reduce delays in responding to incidents.

Nigeria faces different security challenges across its regions, including kidnapping, banditry, terrorism, communal violence and other serious crimes. Advocates of decentralisation argue that a single centrally managed force may struggle to respond effectively to every local threat across a country of Nigeria’s size and diversity.

However, the proposal would not automatically resolve those challenges. Its effectiveness would depend on how state police are structured, recruited, trained, financed, supervised and held accountable.

The final legal framework will need to clarify the responsibilities of federal and state services, their relationship with one another, the standards officers must meet and how disputes or overlapping investigations will be handled.

The distinction between passing a constitutional amendment and implementing a functioning police service is crucial. Constitutional approval would create the legal basis for the reform, but additional legislation, regulations, administrative arrangements and resources would be needed to make the system operational.

Why supporters say decentralised policing is necessary

Supporters argue that state police could help improve responses to local security threats by bringing operational capacity closer to communities.

A state-level force could, in principle, build stronger knowledge of local terrain, languages, community relationships and patterns of crime. Proponents also argue that decentralised structures could make it easier for state authorities to identify security priorities and coordinate local responses.

In areas affected by kidnapping and banditry, advocates say locally informed intelligence and faster communication between residents and law enforcement could be valuable. In communities facing recurring violence, they argue that a police service with a stronger local presence could improve the ability to identify emerging threats.

The reform is also supported by the argument that state governments face intense public pressure to address insecurity but have limited direct control over the federal police structure operating within their jurisdictions.

The proposed system could change that relationship by giving states a formal policing institution of their own. But the extent of any improvement would depend on the powers granted under the final law and how those powers are exercised.

State police would not remove the need for effective federal policing. National and cross-border crimes, organised criminal networks and threats affecting several states would require cooperation between federal and state authorities.

For the reform to work, the system would need clear rules governing information-sharing, joint operations, investigations that cross state boundaries and the coordination of responses to major security incidents.

Supporters’ expectations therefore remain prospective. The proposal is intended to strengthen the country’s security architecture, but its actual impact would need to be evaluated after the legal framework is completed and any new services begin operating.

Concerns over political interference and human rights

Despite support for decentralisation, the proposal has generated concerns about the potential misuse of police powers by state-level political authorities.

Critics warn that a state police service could become vulnerable to pressure from governors or other powerful officials if safeguards are weak. Such concerns include the possibility of selective enforcement, intimidation of political opponents, interference in investigations or disproportionate action against vulnerable communities.

These concerns are particularly significant in an electoral democracy, where police institutions must enforce the law impartially regardless of a person’s political affiliation or relationship with those in power.

A decentralised system would therefore need credible safeguards covering operational independence, complaints against officers, disciplinary procedures, transparent recruitment and protection against unlawful political instructions.

The law would also need to define how misconduct is investigated and which institutions can intervene when allegations involve senior state officials or police leadership.

Accountability should not be treated as a secondary issue to be addressed after the creation of state forces. It is a central condition for public trust and effective policing.

Funding is another challenge. States have different revenue bases and administrative capacities. Wealthier states may find it easier to recruit, equip and train officers, while less financially resourced states could struggle to maintain adequate staffing and facilities.

Without minimum national standards, those differences could create uneven policing quality and disparities in citizens’ access to protection. The proposed framework will need to address the relationship between federal standards and state-level control.

Training, professional conduct, use-of-force rules, human rights protections and independent oversight will be important in determining whether decentralisation strengthens public safety without creating new risks.

The constitutional approval process

The National Assembly transmitted the constitutional amendment proposal to the 36 state Houses of Assembly on September 16, 2026, for consideration and approval. <Cite refs={["turn695542view1","turn695542search3"]}/>

Under Nigeria’s constitutional amendment process, a proposal of this kind requires approval by at least two-thirds of the state assemblies — 24 out of 36 — before it can proceed through the remaining constitutional stages.

The recent approvals represent progress, but the required threshold has not yet been met in the reports available for this article.

Once the threshold is achieved, the proposal must continue through the constitutional process, including the formal steps required before the amendment can take effect. The state-level approvals should not be confused with the final enactment of a complete operational framework for state police.

The separate National Policing Bill is also undergoing review. Its submission to the Ministry of Justice is an administrative and drafting milestone, not a declaration that the proposed federal-state system is already in force.

The two processes are related but distinct: the constitutional amendment would establish the necessary constitutional basis, while the accompanying legislation would set out further legal and operational arrangements.

The next stages will therefore require both continued state-level consideration and completion of the federal drafting and review process.

What happens next?

The immediate next step for the draft National Policing Bill is the Ministry of Justice’s review and validation of the documents. The State House has set October 30 as the expected date for returning the validated drafts to the working group.

The working group is then expected to conduct its final consideration before presenting the proposal to the President. The State House says the bill would subsequently be transmitted to the National Assembly for consideration. <Cite refs={["turn695542search0"]}/>

At the same time, the state assemblies must continue the constitutional approval process. The proposal needs support from at least 24 state legislatures, and official communication of each assembly’s decision is important for establishing the status of the amendment.

The coming weeks should clarify whether enough states will approve the proposal within the relevant timetable and how the final legislation will address the practical questions surrounding state police.

Key issues include command structures, recruitment standards, training, funding, inter-state cooperation, oversight and safeguards against political interference. The details will be important not only to state governments but also to residents who will rely on police institutions for safety and legal protection.

A significant proposal, but not yet a completed reform

The developments on October 20 and 21 show that the state-police proposal has moved beyond general political debate into a more active constitutional and legislative process.

More state assemblies have backed the proposed amendment, while the presidential working group has submitted a draft National Policing Bill and 29 related amendment bills for review. Those steps provide momentum, but they do not mean that state police forces are already legally operational.

The immediate tests are whether the constitutional approval threshold can be reached, whether the accompanying bills complete review and legislative consideration, and whether the final framework establishes effective safeguards and clear responsibilities.

For supporters, the proposal offers an opportunity to bring policing closer to communities and improve responses to local security threats. For critics, the challenge is to ensure that decentralisation does not expose police powers to political abuse or deepen inequalities between states.

The outcome will depend on more than the number of assemblies that approve the amendment. It will also depend on the quality of the legislation, the strength of accountability mechanisms, the resources available to the proposed services and the willingness of federal and state institutions to cooperate.

For now, Nigeria’s state-policing reform remains a proposal moving through the constitutional and legislative process. The next milestones are the Ministry of Justice’s review, further consideration by the working group and the continued decisions of state assemblies.

Sources

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