State Police: 24 states approve bill; Lagos, 9 northern, 2 southern states dilly-dally

By Clifford Ndujihe, Dayo Johnson, Steve Oko, Ebunoluwa Sessou, Boluwaji Obahopo, Jeff Agbodo & Ben Ngwakwe THE push for state police to tighten the war against insecurity in the country got a boost, yesterday, as a flurry of approvals that started on Wednesday by no fewer than 13 states brought the number of states endorsing the legislation to 24.

Thus, the constitutionally required 24-state endorsement benchmark needed for the state police bill to become law has been met. Vanguard gathered that more states will conclude deliberations next week. Currently, 14 of the 17 southern states have endorsed the bill and 10 of the 19 northern states have okayed the move. Lagos, Ondo, and Ebonyi are the southern states still being awaited.

The nine northern states still dilly-dallying on the legislation are Kogi, Niger, Borno, Gombe, Bauchi, Jigawa, Katsina, Kano, and Sokoto. Five of the 10 states are in the North-West zone. The North-Central has two and North-East three states. 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 National Assembly had asked the state legislatures to communicate their resolutions within 30 days. However, the period is an administrative target and not a constitutional deadline. It is exactly 38 days since most houses of assembly got the bill. The state legislatures are expected to turn in their inputs on October 29, which is exactly six days away.

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, 24 legislatures, before the amendment can proceed to the next stage. Kaduna ‌‌Assembly endorses constitutional state police Kaduna State House of Assembly, yesterday, joined approving states by unanimously endorsing proposed amendments to 15 sections of the 1999 Constitution to pave the way for the establishment of state police.

The Chairman House Committee on Information , Mr Henry Marah, disclosed this while briefing journalists on the House proceedings in Kaduna. Marah, who represents Jaba State Constituency, said the Assembly supported the proposal transmitted by the National Assembly for concurrence. He said the proposed state police system would strengthen community security, improve protection of lives and property, and create employment opportunities for youths.

According to him, the current security structure limits state governments’ ability to directly hold police authorities accountable for security failures. He said the proposed system would provide a legal framework for community-based security initiatives and strengthen local responses to banditry and other crimes. Marah said the Assembly would formulate appropriate laws to guide the operations and welfare of state police personnel when the proposal takes effect.

He assured that funding would be prioritised, even if the state had to reduce spending on other projects. “Without security, you cannot even go to the farm or go to work,” he said, stressing that protecting human lives should take precedence over infrastructure development. The lawmaker urged residents to support the proposed state police system, saying improved security would enable farmers to return to their farms and harvest their produce without fear of kidnapping.

Abia assembly concurs Similarly, the Deputy Speaker, Abia State House of Assembly, Austin Nmeregini, told Vanguard, earlier yesterday, that the Abia lawmakers were at the verge of passing the Bill. He disclosed that the Bill received the support of the lawmakers during their Executive session, hinting that they were proceeding into plenary where it would be passed into law.

However, Speaker Austin Nmeregini, told Vanguard later in the day that the bill was passed by unanimous vote Bill yet to be received — Gombe lawmaker In Gombe, the Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Aliyu Baba Manu, said the bill has not been officially presented on the floor of the House. According to Manu, the bill has neither been formally tabled nor received by the House for consideration.

He added that upon receipt, the bill would be referred to the appropriate committee responsible for police matters for further legislative action. Speaking in a like manner, Deputy Speaker of Gombe House of Assembly said he is unaware of the bill. Ebonyi to pass bill soon — Speaker The Speaker of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Moses Ije Odunwa, has said the Assembly will soon pass the State Police Bill.

Odunwa disclosed that lawmakers had commenced deliberations on the bill and were close to completing the process, subject to necessary scrutiny. He said the proposed legislation was aimed at strengthening the protection of lives and property in Ebonyi State and Nigeria at large. The Speaker recalled that Ebonyi State had supported the establishment of state police during the National Assembly’s constitutional review eng