Nigeria moves closer to decentralised policing as 24 state assemblies meet the two-thirds threshold, but legal and operational steps remain before state police can begin work.
Nigeria’s proposed state police system has moved closer to becoming a reality, with 24 state Houses of Assembly reportedly approving the constitutional amendment required to establish state police services.
The development means the proposal has reached the two-thirds threshold required for state-level approval of a constitutional amendment, marking a significant step towards decentralising the country’s policing structure.
However, state police cannot begin operations immediately, as further constitutional, legislative and regulatory procedures must be completed.
According to the latest breakdown of the approval process, the 24 states that have approved the amendment 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.
Kano State is scheduled to consider the proposal at plenary, while Bauchi and Katsina are undergoing committee review.
Six states — Abia, Borno, Ebonyi, Kogi, Ondo and Sokoto — have received the proposal, although their approval status remains unclear. No public update has been provided for Jigawa, Lagos and Niger states.
What happens next?
The next stage involves completing the constitutional amendment process and transmitting the relevant resolutions to the National Assembly for confirmation.
Once the constitutional requirements have been satisfied, the amendment would proceed for presidential assent, providing the constitutional basis for state police services alongside the Federal Police.
A separate National Policing Bill is also under review by the Ministry of Justice. The proposed legislation is expected to establish national standards, certification requirements, funding arrangements, oversight mechanisms and operational rules for state police services.
After the necessary review and validation, the bill would be presented to the National Assembly for consideration and passage.
States must establish their own police laws
Even after the constitutional amendment is completed, states seeking to establish their own police services would be required to enact state-specific legislation.
Each state would also have to meet nationally prescribed minimum standards and obtain certification before its police service could begin operations.
The proposed framework envisages a phased implementation process, with federal coordination, inspections and accountability mechanisms remaining in place. Federal intervention may also be possible under the applicable legal framework.
A major shift in Nigeria’s security debate
The proposed establishment of state police has remained a major issue in Nigeria’s security debate, particularly amid persistent concerns over banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and other violent crimes.
Supporters argue that decentralised policing could improve local intelligence gathering, shorten response times and allow security agencies to respond more effectively to threats within individual states.
However, questions surrounding funding, political interference, human rights protections, accountability and the possible misuse of state-controlled security agencies remain central to the debate.
Although the reported approvals represent a significant milestone, the actual commencement of state policing will depend on the completion of the constitutional process, the passage of enabling legislation and the certification of individual state police services.
For now, Nigeria appears to have crossed an important political threshold, but the transition from constitutional approval to operational state police remains a work in progress.
