Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele has said that 30 state Houses of Assembly have approved the Constitution Alteration Bill seeking to establish State Police Services in Nigeria, exceeding the constitutional requirement for the amendment.
Bamidele disclosed this during plenary in Abuja on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, saying Adamawa was among the latest states to approve the bill. He described the development as a significant step for Nigeria’s democracy and expressed hope that the remaining six state assemblies would complete their consideration before the Nov. 15 deadline.
The bill, titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to provide for the Establishment of State Police Services and for Related Matters,” requires approval by at least two-thirds of the 36 state assemblies—24 states. Bamidele said the 30 approvals had met and surpassed that threshold.
He explained that the constitutional alteration process involves passage by the National Assembly, approval by at least two-thirds of state assemblies and presidential assent. According to him, the Clerk to the National Assembly conveyed the bill to the 36 state assemblies on Oct. 15, giving them until Nov. 15 to consider it.
Bamidele said the National Assembly intended to transmit the bill to President Bola Tinubu for assent after the deadline. Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin also said the Kano State House of Assembly had approved the bill and was preparing to forward its decision to the National Assembly.
The proposed amendment seeks to decentralise policing by allowing states to establish their own police services to complement the Nigeria Police Force in addressing insecurity. If approved by the President, it would pave the way for the establishment of state police across the federation.
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