State Police Move Closer to Reality as 24 Assemblies Approve Amendment

Nigeria’s plan to establish state police has cleared a major constitutional hurdle after 24 State Houses of Assembly approved the proposed amendment to the 1999 Constitution, paving the way for further steps towards 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 in a statement on Friday, October 23.

The statement said the approval of two-thirds of the 36 state assemblies met the constitutional threshold for the Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, which seeks to establish a dual policing system comprising federal and state police services.

The working group commended the state lawmakers for approving the proposal and acknowledged the National Assembly for passing the constitutional amendment in both chambers.

The group said the amendment could now return to the National Assembly for the next stage of the process. It also disclosed that the draft National Policing Bill and related amendment bills were undergoing legislative drafting review and validation at the Federal Ministry of Justice.

The documents are expected to be returned to the working group on or before October 30 for further consideration.

Under the proposed arrangement, states would be able to establish their own police services while a federal police service would continue to operate nationally. The Nigeria Police Force would remain responsible for policing in a state until its state police formation became operational, according to details of the proposal reported during the legislative process.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has expressed optimism that the new system could begin operating before the end of 2026 or in the first quarter of 2027.

He made the prediction on Friday at the unveiling of the Kessington Adebutu Security Trust Fund building in Ikeja, Lagos, where he said the fund would have greater responsibilities in supporting security operations once state police were established.

Sanwo-Olu said Lagos was looking forward to the creation of its own police service and assured serving police officers that the transition would be managed without unnecessary disruption or fears over job security.

His projected timeline, however, has not been confirmed by the Presidential Working Group, whose latest statement says the draft legislation is still undergoing review.

The proposed reform is intended to allow policing arrangements to respond more closely to the security needs of individual states and communities. Supporters argue that state police could improve local intelligence gathering and response times, while concerns remain over funding, accountability and the possibility of political interference in state-controlled security agencies.

Although the required number of state assemblies has reportedly approved the constitutional amendment, the final legal steps and the development of an operational framework remain important to determining when state police can begin work.

The presidential working group has urged stakeholders to support the transition to a dual policing system, which it says is intended to improve public safety.