The proposed establishment of state police in Nigeria has gained further support following the endorsement of the constitutional amendment bill by the Ekiti and Kebbi State Houses of Assembly, bringing the total number of supporting states to 15.
The development marks another step towards decentralising the country’s policing system amid persistent security challenges, including kidnapping, banditry, terrorism and other criminal activities.
In Ekiti State, lawmakers passed the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, during Wednesday’s plenary session, with all 21 members present supporting the proposal.
The Speaker of the Assembly, Adeoye Aribasoye, subsequently directed the Clerk to transmit the bill to the National Assembly alongside the observations made by the state legislature.
The Assembly’s Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Babatunde Oke, said the proposed reform had remained a major issue in national discourse for more than two decades.
In Kebbi State, 20 lawmakers supported a resolution endorsing the establishment of state police during a plenary session presided over by the Speaker, Salihu Dangoje.
The resolution followed deliberations on the proposal presented by the Chairman of the House Committee on Internal Security, Muhammad Garba Bena.
Bena said decentralised policing could strengthen security operations, improve responses to threats and enhance the protection of lives and property across the state and the country.
He added that the proposed arrangement would allow state governments to establish their own police services and recruit personnel within the framework of the law.
Before the latest endorsements, 13 other states had already supported the proposed constitutional amendment. They include Osun, Edo, Oyo, Rivers, Zamfara, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ogun, Delta, Taraba, Cross River, Plateau and Enugu.
However, the proposal still faces a significant hurdle before it can become law.
Under Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution, a constitutional amendment requires approval from at least two-thirds of Nigeria’s 36 State Houses of Assembly, equivalent to 24 states.
With 15 states now backing the bill, nine additional state assemblies must approve it to meet the required constitutional threshold.
Supporters of state police argue that allowing states to establish their own police services would bring law enforcement closer to local communities, improve intelligence gathering and enable faster responses to security threats.
However, concerns about possible political interference and the misuse of state-controlled security agencies have also featured in the national debate.
The proposed reform must secure the required number of state approvals before the constitutional amendment process can proceed towards presidential assent.
