Nigeria’s proposed state police system has moved closer to becoming a reality after 24 state Houses of Assembly approved a constitutional amendment to establish a dual policing structure across the country.
Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu and chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, disclosed this in a statement on Friday.
According to Gbajabiamila, the Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, has secured the approval required under the Constitution, meeting the two-thirds threshold of the 36 state Houses of Assembly.
“The Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill notes with satisfaction that the Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, providing for a dual policing system, has been approved by 24 State Houses of Assembly, meeting the constitutional threshold of two-thirds of the 36 states,” the statement said.
The working group commended the state assemblies for supporting the proposed reform and acknowledged the National Assembly for passing the constitutional amendment in both chambers.
With the required number of state assemblies having approved the bill, the amendment can now be returned to the National Assembly for transmission to President Tinubu for assent, in line with Section 9 of the Constitution.
The approval is expected to provide constitutional backing for the proposed policing structure that the draft National Policing Bill, 2026, is designed to establish.
Under the proposed arrangement, Nigeria would operate a dual policing system consisting of a Federal Police Service and State Police Services. The plan is intended to improve security, particularly at the grassroots, by creating a framework for policing at both federal and state levels.
However, work on the accompanying legislation is still ongoing. The Presidential Working Group said its draft bills were undergoing legislative drafting review and validation at the Federal Ministry of Justice.
The ministry is expected to return the reviewed bills to the working group on or before Friday, October 30, 2026. The group will then conduct a final review before presenting them to the president.
“The Working Group urges all stakeholders to support a smooth transition to a dual policing system that makes Nigerians safer,” the statement added.
On October 19, the working group announced that it had completed the drafting stage of its assignment and submitted the draft National Policing Bill, 2026, alongside 29 consequential amendment bills, to the Ministry of Justice for review and validation.
The ministry’s review is intended to ensure that the proposed legislation complies with legislative drafting standards and conventions and does not conflict with existing laws.
Gbajabiamila had previously explained that, after the ministry returns the validated bills, the working group would give them final consideration before presenting them to Tinubu, bringing its assignment to a close.
The latest development marks a significant step in the proposed state police reform, although the remaining legislative processes must be completed before the new policing framework can be implemented.
