Govs, 36 Assemblies to Decide Fate of State Police as Amended Bill Awaits Ratification

Nigeria's long push to decentralize policing has reached its most decisive stage yet, with the 36 State Houses of Assembly now positioned to determine whether the country gets a constitutionally recognized state police system.

The proposed legislation titled the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) (State Police) Bill, 2026 was transmitted by President Bola Tinubu as an executive bill on July 14, 2026, after the Senate had already passed an earlier version on June 24 and the House of Representatives followed with its own passage on July 23, with 311 lawmakers voting in favor, well above the 240-vote constitutional threshold.

Upon receiving the executive version, the House rescinded its earlier resolution and dissolved the conference committee that had been reconciling the two chambers' bills, effectively restarting the process around Tinubu's amended text to harmonize outstanding differences.

Under Nigeria's constitutional amendment rules, a change of this kind requires the support of two-thirds of both chambers of the National Assembly, followed by ratification from at least 24 of the 36 State Houses of Assembly. Only after that threshold is met does the bill return to the President for assent. Even then, individual states must still pass their own enabling laws covering recruitment, funding and operational structure before any state police force can begin functioning.

The amended bill would restructure Section 214 of the Constitution to formally establish both Federal and State Police as distinct formations, with the National Assembly empowered to set standards for the federal force while providing the framework state legislatures must follow to stand up their own services.

Governors would be empowered to appoint State Commissioners of Police from serving officers, subject to confirmation by their State House of Assembly, and could issue lawful directives to those commissioners on public safety matters though disputes over the lawfulness of such directives would be referred to the Nigeria Police Council for a final decision. No state police formation could begin operating without a law passed by its own assembly, certified as meeting national minimum standards.

Governors have voiced strong, coordinated support. Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, who chairs the Nigeria Governors' Forum Committee on State Police Creation, has predicted all 36 assemblies will move together, calling the reform "a dream we've had for so many years" and describing it as one of the rare issues that has achieved genuine national consensus. Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia similarly praised the National Assembly's passage as "a courageous and timely step."

A national working group chaired by presidential chief of staff Femi Gbajabiamila comprising representatives of the Presidency, the Justice Ministry, the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Nigeria Police Force, the Governors' Forum and the Nigerian Bar Association has been coordinating implementation, including a public submissions process that closed in mid-August. The final legislative package presented to the President is expected to include an explanatory memorandum, legal audit, fiscal notes, a state-readiness framework and a risk register, reflecting the scale of preparation behind the reform.

The Senate has indicated it wants the bill signed into law before the current National Assembly's term expires, adding urgency to the assemblies' deliberations now underway.

Sources: Leadership (Nigeria), The Guardian Nigeria, AllAfrica, Nairametrics, Arise News Town Hall remarks by Gov. Dapo Abiodun, The Gazette (Nigeria)