Five More States Approve Constitutional Amendments for State Police
By Oluwakemi Kindness
Five State Assemblies have approved constitutional amendments required to establish state police, as the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill submits its draft legislation and 29 related amendment bills for review.
The assemblies are Ogun, Delta, Plateau, Kwara and Adamawa. They join Edo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers and Zamfara, bringing the number of approving states named in the statement to ten.
The Chief of Staff to the President and chairman of the Working Group, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the group submitted the draft National Policing Bill, 2026, and the related bills to the Ministry of Justice on Monday for review and validation.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Gbajabiamila says the ministry would check the bills for compliance with legislative drafting standards and consistency with existing laws.
The ministry is expected to return the reviewed bills to the Working Group by Friday, October 30. The group will then conduct a final review before submitting the proposals to President Bola Tinubu.
The proposed legislation seeks to establish the legal framework for a dual policing structure comprising federal and state police services.
The Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, which the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, transmitted to the 36 state assemblies on September 16, seeks to amend Section 214 of the 1999 Constitution to replace the single Nigeria Police Force structure with a Federal Police Service and State Police Services.
Gbajabiamila said the Working Group remained committed to a rigorous and transparent process in preparing the legislative proposals for the President’s consideration and subsequent transmission to the National Assembly.
The statement noted that the constitutional amendment process must be completed before the National Assembly can consider the proposed National Policing Bill.
The proposed reforms would provide the constitutional and legislative basis for state police, subject to the completion of the required legislative processes.
Edited by Julian Osamoto
