24 states approve Constitution amendment for state police—Bill heads to Tinubu for assent
The Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill 2026 has cleared the two-thirds threshold, with 24 of 36 State Houses of Assembly approving the amendment that enables a dual policing system. The Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, chaired by Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, confirmed the milestone Friday.
This constitutional amendment provides the legal framework for state police—a decades-long demand for decentralized security. Per Section 9 of the Constitution, the bill now returns to the National Assembly for transmission to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
Meanwhile, the Working Group's draft National Policing Bill 2026 is undergoing legislative drafting review at the Federal Ministry of Justice, with validation expected by October 30. The Group will then finalize and present it to the President.
State police could reshape how security is managed in your state—giving governors constitutional authority over policing. But implementation details matter: funding, oversight, and preventing political misuse will determine if this makes Nigerians safer or creates new power centers.
Will your state assembly's vote translate to better security on your streets, or will the devil be in the implementation details?