ABUJA, Nigeria: Speakers of the 36 State Houses of Assembly, state governors, and political parties endorsed a constitutional amendment bill to establish state police across Nigeria on Thursday, June 25, 2026.
Okay News reports that the Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures in Nigeria, Emomotimi Guwor, confirmed the commitment of the state assemblies to evaluate the legislation. “As Speakers of the 36 State Houses of Assembly, we had earlier indicated our support for the proposed legislation because we believe that community-based policing, properly structured under law, will enhance safety and response time across our states. Security is local, and our people deserve policing architecture that understands their terrain and challenges,” Guwor said.
The bill was passed by the Senate on June 24, 2026, following a clause-by-clause review of the report by the Senate Committee on the Review of the Constitution, which is chaired by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin. The legislation requires approval from at least 24 state Houses of Assembly before it can be transmitted to Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu, for assent.
Support for the bill came from various officials, including Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, who issued a statement through his Chief Press Secretary, Kula Tersoo. “The House of Representatives had passed the law a few weeks ago, and the concurrence by the Senate a few days ago has confirmed the genuine intentions of national assembly members to address the problem of insecurity in the country,” Alia said.
The Forum of Progressive Speakers of State Legislatures under the All Progressives Congress also supported the bill. The Chairman of the forum and Speaker of the Jigawa State House of Assembly, Haruna Dangyatin, said, “The passage of this bill is a resounding victory for effective governance and community-focused policing.”
The National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Ken Asogwa, stated that constitutional safeguards in section 17 would minimize risks of abuse by governors. Conversely, the Peoples Redemption Party opposed the bill, with its National Chairman, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, stating, “The Peoples Redemption Party is deeply concerned over plans by President Tinubu’s administration to procure state police through constitutional amendment at a time when its credibility and competence are at an unprecedented low level in our democratic history.”
An analysis of the bill showed that it proposes expanding the National Police Council to include representatives from the Nigerian Bar Association, the Nigeria Labour Congress, the National Human Rights Commission, and the Public Complaints Commission. The bill stipulates that a state commissioner of police can only be removed or suspended on the recommendation of the council and with the approval of a two-thirds majority of the respective state House of Assembly.
Under the proposed framework, the Federal Police Service would retain responsibility for federal crimes, terrorism, cybercrime, organized crime, arms trafficking, and border security. The bill provides that no state police service will commence operations until it has been established by a law passed by the state’s House of Assembly and certified as meeting national minimum standards prescribed by the National Assembly.
