Nigeria's ongoing effort to create state police forces has progressed to its next constitutional phase, with the National Assembly officially sending the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, to all 36 state Houses of Assembly for their review and endorsement.
Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, announced the transmission in a statement released on Wednesday, in accordance with Section 9 of the amended 1999 Constitution.
The proposed bill introduces a dual policing system that includes both federal and state police services, in addition to various proposals such as financial independence for local governments, the option for independent candidates, electoral reforms, dedicated legislative seats for women, and reforms in the judiciary.
It stands as the sole constitutional alteration bill that has been approved by both the Senate and the House of Representatives during the current 10th Assembly, having begun as an executive proposal from President Bola Tinubu, which the Senate received on June 23 and passed for its third reading the following day.
According to Section 9, a minimum of two-thirds of the 36 state legislatures, 24 states must pass resolutions in favor of this amendment before the National Assembly can finalize the process. Ogunlana urged state assemblies to evaluate the bill following their own legislative protocols and to relay their decisions within 30 days of receipt, while emphasizing that this timeframe is more administrative than a constitutional deadline, as the Constitution does not specify a strict period for responses from state assemblies.
Emomotimi Dennis Guwor, Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly and chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, remarked that the speakers acknowledged the clerk’s announcement but noted that state legislatures had yet to receive formal copies of the bill. “We are still waiting for the official transmission, and once we have it, we will act in the best interest of the Nigerian populace,” Guwor stated.
The proposed framework for state police has been a topic of discussion in Nigeria for many years, amid worries regarding the centralized policing model and its ability to address local security challenges. The outcome now relies on the 36 state assemblies, whose resolutions, once obtained, will decide whether the National Assembly can advance to the final stages of the amendment process.
