A total of 24 states have passed resolutions supporting the consideration of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, on the establishment of State Police Services.
Recall the proposed Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, was transmitted to the 36 State Houses of Assembly on September 16, 2026 by the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, for consideration and approval.
The Sixth Alteration Bill amends section 214 of the Constitution to replace the single Nigeria Police Force with a Federal Police Service and State Police Services as part of efforts to address the country’s security challenges.
Meanwhile, the constitutionally required 24-state endorsement benchmark needed for the state police bill to become law has been met.
But there are 12 states yet to approve the bill.
The Adamawa State House of Assembly on Tuesday passed 24 out of 26 clauses of the state Police Bill, 2026, rejecting two clauses.
At an emergency sitting on Tuesday, the lawmakers, who had been on recess in China, spent over two hours reading each section of the Alteration Bill for members to approve or disapprove.
Speaker Bathiya Wesley, who presided over the session, directed the Clerk of the House to produce a clean copy of the approved 24 clauses and transmit them to the National Assembly.
The states that have approved are as follows:
1. Adamawa State
2. Delta State
3. Edo State
4. Kwara State
5. Nasarawa State
6. Ogun State
7. Osun State
8. Oyo State
9. Plateau State
10. Rivers State
11. Taraba State
12. Zamfara State
13. Enugu
14. Anambra
15. Imo
16. Ekiti
17. Kebbi
18. Akwa Ibom
19. Bayelsa
20. Benue
21. Cross River
22. Abia
23. Yobe
24. Kaduna
The nine northern states yet to approve are:
1. Kogi
2. Niger
3. Borno
4. Gombe
5. Bauchi
6. Jigawa
7. Katsina
8. Kano
9. Sokoto
The three Southern states yet to approve are:
1. Lagos
2. Ondo
3. Ebonyi
Currently, 14 of the 17 southern states have endorsed the bill and 10 of the 19 northern states have okayed the move.
Five of the 10 states are in the North-West zone. The North-Central has two and North-East three states.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill has expressed 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 Working Group commended the State Houses of Assembly for their decisive action on the reform of national importance and appreciates the National Assembly for passing the amendment in both chambers.
In line with Section 9 of the Constitution, the amendment can now be returned to the National Assembly for transmission to Mr President for assent.
The approval gives constitutional backing to the policing framework that the Working Group’s draft National Policing Bill, 2026 is designed to implement.
