State police bill hit two-thirds mark as 24 state assemblies approve bill

• 24 state houses of assembly approved the state police constitutional amendment, meeting the two-thirds threshold required to advance the bill
• The approved resolutions will be sent back to the National Assembly before proceeding for presidential assent, creating the legal basis for state police services
• Several states, including Kano, Bauchi, and Katsina, are yet to complete their legislative processes on the amendment

Twenty-four state houses of assembly have passed the constitutional amendment bill establishing state police in Nigeria, meeting the two-thirds threshold required to advance the proposal to the next stage of the legislative process.

The approved resolutions will now be returned to the National Assembly. Once confirmed, the amendment will proceed for presidential assent, which will create the constitutional basis for State Police Services to operate alongside a Federal Police Service.

States that have approved the amendment

The 24 states that have passed the bill are: Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, Kebbi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara.

Kano is scheduled for a plenary vote, while Bauchi and Katsina remain at the committee review stage. Six states — Abia, Borno, Ebonyi, Kogi, Ondo, and Sokoto — have received the bill but have not yet acted on it. Jigawa, Lagos, and Niger have provided no public update on their positions.

What comes next for state police

Constitutional approval alone does not bring state police into operation. After the National Assembly confirms the resolutions and the president signs the amendment, a separate National Policing Bill must be finalised by the Ministry of Justice, presented to the president, and then passed by the National Assembly. This legislation will set minimum standards, certification rules, oversight structures, funding arrangements, and operational guidelines for any state that wishes to establish its own police service.

Each state must also pass its own law creating the State Police Service. Beyond legislation, no state can deploy its own officers until it has been formally certified as meeting the national minimum standards. The certification process is designed to ensure that constitutional change does not automatically translate into operations on the ground — states must qualify before any actual policing begins.

Once a state receives certification, its State Police Service may commence. Federal coordination, routine inspections, accountability mechanisms, and provisions for federal intervention remain in place throughout.

Source: Legit.ng