The Rivers State House of Assembly on Monday endorsed the Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, seeking to provide a constitutional framework for establishing State Police Services.
All 25 members of the Assembly voted in favour of the bill during plenary presided over by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, following consultations with their constituents.
The Speaker commended members for their consultations which he said informed their decision to support the bill. He said Nigerians have over time clamoured for an opportunity to have a policing system at the subnational level to complement the federal police.
He said by this voting, the 10th Assembly is fully in support of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill 2026. He added that the state lawmakers supported efforts by the federal government to prioritise the security of lives and property across the country.
Amaewhule said the bill was expected to create a constitutional pathway for state police services, subject to the provisions of the constitution, and when passed, would strengthen the National Assembly’s role in prescribing national minimum policing standards.
He explained that the bill contains 26 clauses, with 25 alterations involving substitutions to sections of the principal Act, including Sections 84(4), 89(2), 121(3), 124(4), 109(2), 153(1), 157(2), 158(1) and 160.
The development follows the National Assembly’s transmission of the bill to the 36 state Houses of Assembly on September 16, 2026 for consideration and approval. Under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, at least 24 state assemblies must approve the bill before it proceeds to the President for assent.
