Only five of Nigeria’s 36 State Houses of Assembly had approved the proposed constitutional amendment to establish state police as of Thursday, October 15, leaving the bill short of the required support.
Edo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers and Zamfara have endorsed the proposal, which seeks to allow states to establish their own police services alongside the Federal Police Service. The National Assembly transmitted the bill to state legislatures on September 16, requesting their positions within 30 days.
Under Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution, at least 24 state assemblies must approve a constitutional amendment before it can proceed to the next stage. The proposal therefore needs the support of 19 additional states to meet the threshold.
Several assemblies are still reviewing the bill or planning consultations and public hearings before deciding. Meanwhile, the Senate has pledged to complete the constitutional amendment process before the end of the 10th National Assembly’s tenure.
In a related development, the Presidency announced that the proposed National Policing Bill was 90 percent ready and would be sent to the National Assembly within two weeks. Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, said some observations from state governors remained to be addressed before the draft legislation could be finalized.
The proposed reform comes amid calls to decentralize policing and improve responses to insecurity, although concerns remain over the potential misuse of state-controlled police forces.
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