State Police bill clears the 24-state threshold: what it means and what comes next

Five State Houses of Assembly approved the State Police alteration in its first month. Then 19 more voted on three sitting days. On 22 October 2026, the bill crossed the two-thirds of states that Section 9(2) of the Constitution requires.

The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, which would allow states to establish their own police services alongside a Federal Police Service, now has the approval of 24 of the 36 State Houses of Assembly. No Assembly has rejected it. Twelve have yet to vote.

That is the number the Constitution sets. Under Section 9(2), an alteration passed by the National Assembly must be approved by resolution of the Houses of Assembly of at least two-thirds of the states. The FCT has no House of Assembly and does not vote.

A slow start, then a surge

The National Assembly sent the bill to the states on 16 September and asked them to respond within 30 days. That was an administrative target, not a constitutional deadline.

Osun moved first, on 22 September, followed by Edo, Rivers and Oyo before the end of the month. Zamfara followed on 5 October. When the 30-day window closed on 16 October, only those five had acted. Many Assemblies cited recess, the need for public hearings, consultation with stakeholders, or talks at the Conference of Speakers. Some said they had not yet received the bill.

Then, between 20 and 22 October, 19 Assemblies approved it on three sitting days:

• 20 October (11 states): Adamawa, Anambra, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Enugu, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ogun, Plateau and Taraba.
• 21 October (4 states): Akwa Ibom, Ekiti, Imo and Kebbi.
• 22 October (4 states): Bayelsa, Gombe, Kaduna and Yobe.

Gombe, Kaduna and Yobe took the count to 24 on 22 October.

Where each zone stands

The South South is the only zone where every Assembly has approved. The North West, with seven states, has the most still to vote.

Two approvals came with conditions

Not every approval was a plain yes. Adamawa's Assembly voted on the bill clause by clause, approved 24 of its 26 clauses and rejected two that members said were not properly defined. Ekiti granted its concurrence subject to an amendment to the proposed new Section 317A(5), and sent its observations to the National Assembly.

State Assemblies can approve or reject an alteration, but they cannot amend it. How the National Assembly treats these two resolutions when it collates the states' positions will matter. Counting only unconditional approvals, the figure is 22.

Why the count differs across the media

Several outlets reported "24 states" on 23 October, but their lists were not the same. Some counted Abia, which Vanguard reports approved the bill on 22 October; no second outlet has yet confirmed it. Others counted Gombe, whose vote on 22 October is confirmed by Daily Trust, Punch, Leadership and Independent.

The Legis360 Constitution Tracker records a state as approving only when at least two independent reports confirm the vote. On that standard, the count is 24 including Gombe. If Abia is confirmed, it will be 25.

Funding is the question the bill leaves open

The alteration protects how money reaches a state police service: funds credited to it must be paid directly to the service, so that it cannot be starved by a governor. It does not say where the money comes from. That is left to later legislation.

The question surfaced on the floor in Benue, where members asked how state police would be funded when existing security agencies already lack equipment. In Kaduna, the Information Committee chairman said funding would be prioritised even if the state had to cut spending elsewhere.

What happens next

1. The National Assembly collates the resolutions. Once it has received and confirmed the states' resolutions, the alteration goes to the President for assent.
2. The National Policing Bill. The alteration creates the framework but does not set up any state police service. The Presidential Working Group submitted the draft National Policing Bill and 29 related bills to the Ministry of Justice on 19 October; validation is due by 30 October. That law will set minimum standards, certification, oversight and the fiscal conditions.
3. State laws and certification. Each state that wants a police service must pass its own law and be certified as meeting the national minimum standards before any officer is deployed.

Twelve Assemblies have not voted. Lagos, Ondo and Kogi have said they will take the bill when they next sit.

Follow every Assembly's vote, with dates, vote counts and sources, on the Legis360 Constitution Tracker.