The Senate has assured Nigerians that legislation to establish state police will be enacted before the end of 2026, following the approval of the proposed constitutional amendment by the required number of state Houses of Assembly.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, gave the assurance on Monday, October 26, 2026, during an interview with journalists, saying the National Assembly was determined to conclude the process before the Christmas break.
The development followed the passage of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, by the Ondo State House of Assembly on Monday.
The bill seeks to establish state police services across the country as part of efforts to address Nigeria’s worsening security challenges.
With Ondo’s approval, at least 24 state Houses of Assembly have endorsed the proposed constitutional amendment, meeting the two-thirds threshold required under the Constitution.
Other states that had approved the bill include Osun, Adamawa, Delta, Edo, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ogun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Taraba, Zamfara, Enugu, Anambra, Imo, Ekiti, Kebbi, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Abia, Yobe and Kaduna.
Adaramodu said the state police proposal remained a priority in the ongoing constitutional review process and would be considered expeditiously once the necessary documents were received from the executive.
“Already, we have promised Nigerians that before the end of this 10th National Assembly, a new police law will be enacted for Nigerians. And then, before we even leave for Christmas, it would have been done,” he said.
His assurance comes amid preparations by the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill to submit its draft legislation for consideration by President Bola Tinubu and subsequent transmission to the National Assembly.
The working group, chaired by the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, had submitted the draft National Policing Bill, 2026, alongside 29 consequential amendment bills, to the Ministry of Justice for legislative drafting review and validation.
The ministry was expected to return the validated drafts by October 30, after which the working group would give them final consideration before presenting them to the President.
Gbajabiamila had earlier said the proposed bill was 90 per cent ready and would be transmitted to the National Assembly on October 29.
However, Adaramodu declined to comment on the executive’s proposed timeline, insisting that the Senate would wait until it formally received the bills.
“We cannot pass comment on what the executive said until we receive correspondence from them,” he said.
The senator also dismissed concerns about delays in the constitutional amendment process, explaining that the 30-day deadline given to state legislatures was for them to submit their positions and not a deadline for the Senate.
He said the responses from the state assemblies would be considered as part of the ongoing review process, adding that the National Assembly would also provide opportunities for relevant stakeholders to contribute to the proposed legislation.
Adaramodu expressed confidence that the process would be completed before the end of the year, describing state police as necessary for improving law enforcement and tackling insecurity.
He said decentralising policing would strengthen efforts to address killings, abductions, banditry and terrorism by improving the enforcement of security laws.
According to him, state police would make security operations more effective than the existing centralised arrangement.
Also speaking, the senator representing Anambra Central, Victor Umeh, said the approval by at least 24 state assemblies meant the proposed constitutional amendment had met the required threshold and would return to the National Assembly for verification.
Umeh said decentralised policing was necessary because of Nigeria’s size and the need to bring security operations closer to local communities.
He argued that state police would improve intelligence gathering and enable security agencies to respond more quickly to threats because officers would be more familiar with the communities they serve.
The proposed amendment seeks to alter Section 214 of the 1999 Constitution to replace the existing Nigeria Police Force with a Federal Police Service and State Police Services.
The Senate passed the bill on June 24, while the House of Representatives subsequently approved it before the National Assembly transmitted it to the 36 state Houses of Assembly on September 16 for consideration.
In Ondo, the majority leader of the House of Assembly, Olatunji Oshati, moved the motion for the bill’s passage, which was seconded by Allen Oluwatoyin, representing Ese Odo State Constituency.
The Speaker of the Ondo Assembly, Olamide Oladiji, described the proposed establishment of state police as long overdue, saying it would enable security agencies to respond more swiftly to crimes and other security concerns.
He added that state policing would help reduce crime through improved intelligence gathering and proactive security measures.
The proposed reform has attracted support from those who believe decentralised policing would improve security at the grassroots. However, concerns remain about the potential misuse of state police by governors and the need for safeguards to ensure accountability, professionalism and respect for citizens’ rights.
