Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele said Nigeria's lawmakers aim to complete the remaining stages of a state police constitutional amendment by December 2026, after assembly approvals reached the required threshold.
Bamidele said at least 30 state assemblies had approved the amendment. In remarks reported after a lecture on Oct. 29, he said lawmakers would consider and collate state assembly reports before passing resolutions in both chambers. He set December as the target for completing those stages.
The Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill reported that 24 state assemblies had approved the amendment as of Oct. 23, meeting the constitutional minimum. EconoTimes previously covered the state approval threshold being met. The working group's tally and Bamidele's later statement refer to different dates.
Section 9(2) of Nigeria's Constitution requires resolutions from at least two-thirds of the 36 state assemblies, or 24 states, as well as support from two-thirds of members in each chamber of the National Assembly. The Senate passed the proposal on June 24, 2026, and the House of Representatives passed it on July 23, 2026.
The amendment would allow State Police Services alongside the Federal Police Service. A separate draft National Policing Bill would set out how the system operates. The bill portal says a state would need to enact its own law and obtain national certification before its police service could begin operating.
Bamidele has argued that state forces could tailor security responses to local needs. The Associated Press reported that critics warn governors could use state police forces to pursue personal agendas and silence critics.
The State House said the draft National Policing Bill and 29 consequential amendment bills were submitted to the Federal Ministry of Justice on Oct. 19 for legislative drafting review and validation. Their return was expected by Oct. 30.
