The Rivers State House of Assembly has unanimously approved a constitutional amendment bill seeking to provide a legal framework for the establishment of state police in Nigeria.
The decision makes Rivers the third state, after Osun and Edo, to publicly endorse the proposed constitutional amendment forwarded to state legislatures by the National Assembly.
The bill was transmitted to the state Houses of Assembly following its formal submission to the Clerk of the National Assembly on September 16, 2026.
Under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, a constitutional amendment requires approval by at least two-thirds of the 36 state Houses of Assembly before it can proceed to the President for assent. The National Assembly has given the state legislatures a 30-day administrative period to consider the proposal.
The Rivers Assembly considered the proposal during Monday’s plenary presided over by the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule.
Amaewhule said the Assembly supported the efforts of President Bola Tinubu to improve the security of lives and property through the proposed creation of state police.
He explained that the proposed amendment would establish State Police Services while retaining the Federal Police Service and providing for national minimum policing standards.
According to the Speaker, the proposed framework includes safeguards covering civilian control, human rights, police oversight, firearms control, criminal information systems and intergovernmental cooperation.
It also provides for the continued role of the Federal Police in states and the Federal Capital Territory, while allowing federal intervention in exceptional circumstances, including serious threats to national security or major breakdowns in state policing.
Amaewhule said the bill contains 26 clauses, including 25 proposed alterations or substitutions to existing constitutional provisions.
Following the presentation of the bill, lawmakers voted unanimously in favour of it.
The Clerk announced that 25 members voted for the proposal, with none voting against and no abstention.
Declaring the result, Amaewhule said the 10th Rivers State Assembly was fully in support of the constitutional amendment bill.
He added that the protection of citizens and enabling residents to conduct their businesses without fear would remain a priority of the Assembly.
The proposed amendment will require approval from at least 24 state Houses of Assembly before it can move to the next stage of the constitutional amendment process.
