Nigeria’s drive to create state police has encountered a critical slowdown, with only four of the country’s 36 state Houses of Assembly reported to have approved the constitutional amendment more than two weeks after it was transmitted nationwide.
Edo, Osun, Oyo and Rivers have endorsed the proposal, according to a nationwide review published on Sunday, 4 October. That leaves the bill needing approval from at least 20 more assemblies to reach the constitutional threshold of 24 states.
The National Assembly sent the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, to all state legislatures on 16 September. The measure would provide the constitutional foundation for states to establish police services alongside the federally controlled Nigeria Police Force.
When the bill was transmitted, Clerk to the National Assembly Kamoru Ogunlana asked the state assemblies to consider it under their own procedures and communicate their resolutions within 30 days. He made clear that the period was an administrative timetable, not a constitutional deadline.
The distinction matters. Failure to respond within the requested period would not automatically defeat the amendment, but a prolonged delay could weaken the political momentum behind one of Nigeria’s most consequential security reforms in decades.
Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution requires an alteration of this kind to be approved by at least two-thirds of the 36 state Houses of Assembly. The minimum is therefore 24. Both chambers of the National Assembly had already approved the proposal before it was sent to the states.
The National Assembly said during the transmission that it respected the independence of state legislatures. Ogunlana stated: “The National Assembly recognises the constitutional responsibility vested in the State Houses of Assembly and respects their independence.”
Reports from several states suggest that some assemblies have not begun formal consideration, while others say they are awaiting the transmitted documents or have yet to place the bill on their order papers. Kano has begun deliberation, but no approval from the state had been confirmed by Sunday morning.
The slow response contrasts with the urgency that has surrounded the debate. Supporters say a decentralised structure could improve local intelligence, shorten response times and allow officers with knowledge of local languages and terrain to serve communities more effectively.
Governors have long complained that they are expected to answer for insecurity without exercising operational control over police commissioners deployed to their states. The argument has gained force as Nigeria confronts kidnapping, banditry, insurgency, communal violence and organised crime across regions with markedly different security needs.
Critics, however, fear that state police could become instruments of political coercion in the hands of governors. They have called for strong safeguards on recruitment, funding, command, complaints, election duties and the protection of opposition figures, journalists, protesters and minority communities.
There are also questions about whether poorer states could sustain credible forces. Salaries, training, equipment, insurance, communications, forensic capacity and independent oversight would all require reliable funding. Without minimum national standards and transparent financing, decentralisation could deepen inequalities in public safety.
The four approvals already secured show that the bill has support across more than one region. Osun and Oyo represent the South West, Edo is in the South South and Rivers is also in the South South. Yet the current tally remains far short of the broad national consensus required for constitutional change.
The pace of action is especially important because the amendment does not itself create functioning state police commands overnight. Even after constitutional approval, detailed laws, institutions and operating rules would still be needed to define the relationship between federal and state forces and to establish accountability mechanisms.
For citizens facing violent crime, the debate is not merely institutional. It concerns how quickly help arrives, who is answerable when officers abuse their powers, and whether communities can trust the people charged with protecting them.
Why it matters: The gap between four approvals and the required 24 is now the decisive test of whether the state police proposal can move from national political promise to constitutional reality.
Podium News will continue tracking how each state assembly votes. Readers should contact their representatives and ask where their legislature stands, what safeguards it wants in the final framework, and when the proposal will be debated in public.
