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Efforts to establish state police in Nigeria have encountered a major hurdle, with only five state Houses of Assembly endorsing the proposed constitutional amendment while 31 others are yet to make their positions known.
As of October 15, 2026, Edo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers and Zamfara had approved the proposal, which seeks to introduce state-controlled police services alongside the existing federal policing structure.
The development comes as the 30-day period given by the National Assembly for state legislatures to communicate their decisions approaches its conclusion. The amendment was forwarded to the 36 state assemblies on September 16, following its passage by the Senate on June 24 and the House of Representatives on July 23.
Under Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution, at least 24 state Houses of Assembly must approve a constitutional amendment before it can proceed to the next stage. With only five states currently supporting the proposal, the initiative remains considerably short of the required two-thirds majority.
The proposed reform is intended to decentralise policing and give state governments a constitutional framework to establish their own police services. Supporters believe the arrangement could improve responses to security threats, including kidnapping, banditry, terrorism and communal violence, by bringing law enforcement closer to local communities.
However, concerns remain over the possibility of political interference in state police operations, particularly regarding the independence of officers, protection of citizens’ rights and accountability in the use of security agencies.
The limited number of approvals has also raised questions about the pace of the constitutional amendment process and the next steps the National Assembly may take as the deadline expires.
For the proposal to advance, more state legislatures must consider and approve the amendment. Until the constitutional threshold is achieved, the plan to introduce state police across Nigeria cannot proceed through the required amendment process.
