Nigeria’s plan to establish state police has reached a significant milestone, with 24 State Houses of Assembly approving the constitutional amendment required to introduce a decentralised policing system.
Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu and chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, announced the development on Friday, saying the required constitutional threshold had been met.
The approval advances efforts to amend the 1999 Constitution to allow state governments to establish their own police services alongside the Federal Police Service.
The amendment had earlier been passed by both chambers of the National Assembly before being transmitted to the 36 state legislatures for consideration, in accordance with the constitutional procedure for altering the constitution.
With the required number of state assemblies having approved the measure, the amendment is expected to return to the National Assembly before being forwarded to President Tinubu for assent.
National Policing Bill undergoes review
Meanwhile, work is continuing on the proposed National Policing Bill 2026, which is expected to provide the legal and administrative framework for operating a dual policing system.
The Presidential Working Group submitted the draft bill, alongside 29 related amendment bills, to the Federal Ministry of Justice on October 19 for legislative drafting review and validation.
The ministry is expected to return the reviewed documents by October 30, after which the working group will consider them before presenting the proposals to the President.
Supporters of state police argue that decentralising policing would improve local intelligence gathering, strengthen community-level security and enable faster responses to threats.
However, the proposed system has also raised concerns about accountability, funding, operational standards and the potential for political interference by state authorities.
Safeguards to protect citizens’ rights and prevent the misuse of police powers are expected to be important considerations as the proposed legislation progresses.
Although the constitutional approval threshold has been reached, further legislative steps and the development of an operational framework will determine how and when state police can be established across the country.
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