Twenty-four State Houses of Assembly have approved the bill to establish state police, meeting the constitutional requirement of endorsement by two-thirds of Nigeria’s 36 states for the measure to proceed.

The states that have passed the bill so far are Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, Kebbi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.

Twelve states are yet to conclude deliberations. They are Lagos, Ondo, Ebonyi, Kogi, Niger, Borno, Bauchi, Jigawa, Katsina, Kano and Sokoto, and Abia. Some are scheduled for plenary votes next week, while others are at committee review stage.

The development followed a flurry of approvals on Wednesday and Thursday, with Kaduna, Abia, Ekiti and Kebbi among the latest to endorse the proposal. Vanguard reports that with the 24-state benchmark met, the bill has crossed a major constitutional hurdle.

Under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, alteration of the Constitution requires approval by at least two-thirds of the 36 State Houses of Assembly, representing 24 legislatures, before the amendment can proceed to the next stage.

The National Assembly transmitted the 1999 Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, to the 36 State Houses of Assembly on September 16, seeking their concurrence. The resolutions will now be returned to the National Assembly for confirmation before proceeding for presidential assent.

The proposed amendment seeks to create a dual structure comprising a Federal Police Service and State Police Services, giving states the legal framework to establish and operate their own police formations.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Information in Kaduna, Henry Marah, said the proposed policing system would strengthen community security, improve protection of lives and property, and create employment opportunities for young people.