Twenty-four state Houses of Assembly have reportedly approved the proposed constitutional amendment to establish state police in Nigeria, meeting the two-thirds threshold required.
The states are Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, Kebbi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.
According to the latest breakdown, Kano State is scheduled to consider the proposal during plenary, while Bauchi and Katsina states are at the committee review stage.
Six states; Abia, Borno, Ebonyi, Kogi, Ondo and Sokoto have received the proposal, but their approval status remains unclear.
No public update has been reported for Jigawa, Lagos and Niger states.
The reported approvals mark a significant step in the proposed restructuring of Nigeria’s policing system, which would provide a constitutional framework for state police services alongside the federal police.
The next stage involves completing the constitutional amendment process, passing the necessary national legislation and establishing the regulatory framework for state police operations.
Following the state assemblies’ resolutions, the National Assembly will need to confirm that the constitutional amendment has secured the required support before the process can proceed to presidential assent, in accordance with the applicable constitutional requirements.
A proposed National Policing Bill, alongside related consequential amendments, is also reportedly under review by the Federal Ministry of Justice.
Once the review and validation processes are completed, the legislation is expected to be presented to the National Assembly for consideration and passage.
The proposed legislation is expected to establish national standards for state police services, including certification requirements, oversight mechanisms, funding arrangements and operational guidelines.
