Twenty-four State Houses of Assembly across Nigeria have reportedly approved the proposed constitutional amendment seeking to establish state police, meeting the two-thirds threshold required for ratification by the states.
The development marks a significant step towards the establishment of state-controlled policing structures aimed at strengthening security and addressing growing concerns over crime and insecurity across the country.
The 24 states reported to have approved the amendment 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.
Meanwhile, Kano State is reportedly scheduled to consider the amendment during plenary, while Bauchi and Katsina states are still reviewing the proposal at the committee level.
Six other states, including Abia, Borno, Ebonyi, Kogi, Ondo and Sokoto, have reportedly received the proposal but are yet to announce their decisions.
There have been no public updates on the status of the amendment in Jigawa, Lagos and Niger states.
With the reported approval of 24 states, attention is expected to shift to the National Assembly for confirmation of the resolutions before the constitutional amendment can proceed for presidential assent.
If completed, the amendment would provide the constitutional framework for the establishment of State Police Services alongside the existing federal policing structure.
However, the approval does not automatically authorise states to begin operating their own police services.
Under the proposed implementation framework, a National Policing Bill would need to be finalised and passed to establish operational standards, oversight mechanisms, funding arrangements and accountability procedures.
Individual states seeking to establish their own police services would also be required to enact enabling legislation and satisfy prescribed national certification requirements before commencing operations.
The proposed arrangement is expected to include federal coordination, inspections and accountability measures to prevent abuse of power and ensure compliance with national policing standards.
The push for state police has remained a major issue in Nigeria’s security reform debate, with supporters arguing that decentralised policing would improve intelligence gathering, strengthen community security and enable faster responses to local threats.
However, concerns have also been raised over the possibility of political interference and the misuse of state-controlled security agencies.
The latest reported development represents a major milestone in the constitutional amendment process, although the proposal must still complete the remaining legislative and executive procedures before state police can become operational in Nigeria.
