Twenty-four of Nigeria’s 36 State Houses of Assembly have approved a proposed constitutional amendment to establish state police, meeting the required two-thirds threshold for constitutional alteration.
Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu and Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, disclosed this in a statement on Friday, October 23, 2026.
The approval clears a major legislative hurdle for the proposed dual policing system, which would comprise the Federal Police Service and state police services.
According to the statement, the approval satisfies the requirement under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, for the Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026.
The Presidential Working Group commended the state assemblies for their decisions and the National Assembly for passing the amendment in both chambers.
“In line with Section 9 of the Constitution, the amendment can now be returned to the National Assembly for transmission to Mr President for assent,” the statement said.
The proposed amendment is expected to provide constitutional backing for the policing framework outlined in the draft National Policing Bill, 2026.
National Policing Bill Nears Completion
The Working Group disclosed that the draft policing bills were undergoing legislative drafting review and validation at the Federal Ministry of Justice.
The documents are expected to be returned to the group on or before Friday, October 30, 2026, for final consideration before being presented to President Tinubu.
The group urged stakeholders to support a smooth transition to the proposed dual policing system, saying the initiative is aimed at improving public safety across the country.
The development follows the transmission of the constitutional amendment to the 36 state assemblies by the National Assembly on September 16, 2026, for consideration and approval.
The state legislatures were given an expected administrative timeframe of 30 days to communicate their decisions.
Approval Numbers Rise
On October 9, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs Chairman Yemi Adaramodu expressed confidence that the amendment would secure the necessary state approvals.
At the time, he identified Edo, Oyo, Osun and Rivers as the states that had approved the proposal.
A report published on October 16 subsequently listed five approving states: Edo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers and Zamfara.
By October 21, five additional states — Ogun, Delta, Plateau, Kwara and Adamawa — had reportedly approved the amendment, bringing the number to 10.
Gbajabiamila’s latest disclosure puts the number of approving state assemblies at 24, crossing the constitutional threshold required for the amendment to proceed.
The proposed reform is part of the Federal Government’s efforts to restructure Nigeria’s policing system by allowing states to establish their own police services alongside the federal force.
