The National Assembly has transmitted a Constitution Alteration Bill seeking to establish State Police Services to the 36 State Houses of Assembly for consideration and approval.
Clerk to the National Assembly Kamoru Ogunlana sent the bill on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, on the directives of the National Assembly leadership. State legislatures are expected to consider the proposal and communicate their resolutions within 30 days of receiving it.
Ogunlana clarified that the 30-day window is an administrative timeframe, not a constitutional deadline. The 1999 Constitution does not set a specific period for state Houses of Assembly to respond to constitutional alteration bills.
Under Section 9 of the Constitution, any bill to alter the Constitution requires the approval of at least two-thirds of the 36 State Houses of Assembly, meaning a minimum of 24 state legislatures before the process can advance.
The bill proposes a dual policing structure made up of a Federal Police Service and State Police Services. Each state would be able to create its own State Police Service through a law passed by its House of Assembly, subject to the constitutional framework and national minimum standards set by an Act of the National Assembly.
The Federal Police Service would continue to handle federal policing functions and remain responsible for policing any state until that state’s own police service becomes operational. State Police Services would handle enforcement of state laws, maintenance of public safety and order, prevention and detection of offences within their jurisdiction, and protection of lives and property.
The legislation also sets national minimum standards covering recruitment, training, certification, appointment, promotion, discipline, use of force, firearms, custody, complaints, criminal information, intergovernmental cooperation, public reporting and accountability.
The transmission follows earlier legislative steps. The Senate passed a constitutional amendment bill providing for State Police Services in June. The House of Representatives later rescinded its earlier version after President Bola Tinubu transmitted an Executive Bill on State Police, prompting lawmakers to consider the new framework.
Proponents have framed the proposal as a response to Nigeria’s security challenges, aimed at decentralising aspects of policing so states can tailor services to local needs. The bill includes safeguards to regulate relations between federal and state police authorities while retaining the Federal Police Service’s role in federal matters.
Ogunlana said the National Assembly recognises the constitutional responsibility and independence of the State Houses of Assembly. He urged the legislatures to consider the bill according to their own procedures and to communicate their resolutions once deliberations conclude.
The National Assembly, he added, would take the necessary next steps after receiving those resolutions and reaffirmed its commitment to due process and the constitutional procedure for amending the country’s supreme law.
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