Twenty-four state Houses of Assembly have approved the proposed constitutional amendment to establish state police in Nigeria, meeting the constitutionally required threshold for the reform to advance.
The Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, chaired by President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, announced the development on Friday, October 23, 2026. The approval follows the passage of the constitutional amendment by both chambers of the National Assembly.
Full List of 24 States That Have Approved the Bill
- Adamawa
- Delta
- Edo
- Kwara
- Nasarawa
- Ogun
- Osun
- Oyo
- Plateau
- Rivers
- Taraba
- Zamfara
- Enugu
- Anambra
- Imo
- Ekiti
- Kebbi
- Akwa Ibom
- Bayelsa
- Benue
- Cross River
- Abia
- Yobe
- Kaduna
States Yet to Conclude Deliberations
The 12 states whose decisions were still being awaited as of October 23 are Lagos, Ondo, Ebonyi, Kogi, Niger, Borno, Gombe, Bauchi, Jigawa, Katsina, Kano and Sokoto.
According to the Presidential Working Group, the approval satisfies the two-thirds requirement under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, allowing the constitutional amendment to proceed towards presidential assent.
The proposed reform seeks to introduce a dual policing system in which state police services operate alongside the existing federal police structure. The framework is intended to strengthen security, improve crime prevention and enable law enforcement agencies to respond more effectively to local security challenges.
The draft National Policing Bill, 2026, and related bills are undergoing legislative drafting review and validation at the Federal Ministry of Justice. They are expected to return to the working group on or before October 30 for final consideration before presentation to President Bola Tinubu.
Although the constitutional threshold has been met, the proposed reform must still complete the remaining legislative and presidential assent processes before it can become law.
The working group commended the state legislatures and the National Assembly for supporting the reform and urged stakeholders to support a smooth transition to the proposed policing system.