The National Assembly has set a firm deadline of December 2026 to complete all remaining legislative steps toward establishing State Police across Nigeria.
Speaking at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies in Kuru, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele confirmed that thirty state legislatures have approved the constitutional amendment bill, satisfying the threshold needed to alter the 1999 Constitution.
Bamidele disclosed that federal lawmakers are now collating reports from the state assemblies, with plans to consider their positions and pass the required resolution by a simple majority in both chambers before transmitting the bill to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
He described the development as a major breakthrough toward decentralising Nigeria’s security architecture after more than fifteen years of unsuccessful attempts through constitutional reform.
Addressing concerns over potential misuse, the Senate Leader assured that state police will not amount to creating state armies or weakening federal authority, but will rather establish community-based policing backed by constitutional safeguards, operational standards, and human rights protections.
Bamidele also noted that legislative performance should be judged by effective implementation and adequate funding rather than the sheer number of laws passed, calling for closer collaboration between research institutes and the National Assembly to guide evidence-based policy.
