The National Assembly has fired the starting gun for the next stage of the controversial push to establish State Police, transmitting the Constitution Alteration Bill to all 36 State Houses of Assembly for consideration and approval.
The transmission, effected on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, by Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, moves the proposed policing overhaul into the hands of state lawmakers, whose concurrence is constitutionally required before the amendment can proceed.
Ogunlana said the State Assemblies had been asked to consider the bill in line with their respective legislative procedures and communicate their resolutions to the National Assembly.
Although lawmakers have been given 30 days to respond, the Clerk stressed that the period is an administrative expectation and not a constitutional deadline.
“The Constitution does not prescribe a specific period within which State Houses of Assembly are required to communicate their resolutions,” Ogunlana said, adding that the 30-day timeframe was intended to ensure an “orderly, coordinated and timely conclusion” of the constitutional alteration process.
24 States Hold Key To State Police
The State Police proposal cannot become part of the Constitution through federal parliamentary approval alone.
Under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, at least two-thirds of the 36 State Houses of Assembly — 24 states — must approve a constitutional amendment before the process can be concluded.
The development therefore puts state lawmakers at the centre of one of the most consequential proposed changes to Nigeria’s security architecture in decades.
The State Police Bill is the only constitutional amendment proposal in the current exercise that has so far been approved by both chambers of the National Assembly, according to reports on the legislative process.
The proposal seeks to create a framework for decentralised policing, with the constitutional amendment providing for both federal and state police structures. The bill also envisages national standards and a legislative framework governing the establishment and operation of State Police.
NASS: States’ Independence Must Be Respected
Ogunlana said the National Assembly recognised the constitutional responsibility and independence of the 36 State Houses of Assembly in determining their positions on the proposed amendment.
He said the federal legislature would not dictate how state lawmakers should discharge their constitutional responsibilities.
“For clarity, the 30-day period is an expected administrative timeframe and does not constitute a constitutional deadline,” he said.
The Clerk added that the National Assembly would proceed with the next steps after receiving the resolutions of the state legislatures.
The move comes amid renewed national debate over whether policing should be decentralised to bring security operations closer to communities, while ensuring effective oversight, accountability and protection of citizens’ rights.
With the bill now before the 36 State Houses of Assembly, the battle has effectively shifted from Abuja to the state capitals, where lawmakers must decide whether to give the proposed new policing architecture the constitutional backing required for it to become law.
