The National Assembly has begun compiling submissions from state Houses of Assembly following the approval of the proposed State Police Constitution Alteration Bill, 2026, by at least 30 states.
Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, disclosed this on Thursday while speaking to participants of Senior Executive Course 48 at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Plateau State.
He said the number of approving states had exceeded the constitutional threshold of two-thirds of the 36 state legislatures required to advance the proposed amendment.
According to Bamidele, the next stage involves reviewing and collating the reports received from the state assemblies before both chambers of the National Assembly pass a resolution by a simple majority.
The bill will subsequently be forwarded to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
Bamidele, who also serves as Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, said the legislature was working towards completing the outstanding processes by December 2026.
He said, “We are pleased to inform our constituents across the federation that state police has moved from rhetoric to reality. We have already received formal reports from the state Houses of Assembly and, as of today, no fewer than 30 states have approved the State Police Constitution Alteration Bill, 2026.
“By the provision of Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which requires the concurrence of not less than two-thirds of all state Houses of Assembly, the constitutional requirement for the alteration has been duly met. This is a historic milestone in our collective quest to re-engineer our security architecture and make it more responsive, more local, and more effective.
What happens next is procedural, but critical. The National Assembly is now constitutionally obligated to consider the reports transmitted by the state Houses of Assembly, collate those reports, and pass a resolution by simple majority of members in both chambers. Once this resolution is passed, the Alteration Bill will be transmitted to the President and Commander-in-Chief for assent.
“We have set a clear timeline for ourselves. We intend to conclude all these legislative stages — consideration of reports, passage of resolution, and transmission for presidential assent — on or before December 2026,” the Senate Leader emphasised.
The proposed reform seeks to decentralise Nigeria’s policing system in response to persistent security challenges, including killings, kidnappings and other violent crimes.
Currently, the Nigeria Police Force operates under a largely centralised structure, with proponents of state police arguing that state-controlled security services would enhance intelligence gathering, improve emergency responses and strengthen accountability at the community level.
However, the proposal has attracted concerns over the possibility of governors and other political office holders using state police to intimidate or target political opponents.
Addressing these concerns, Bamidele said the proposed arrangement would include constitutional safeguards, oversight provisions and measures to protect human rights.
He described the development as a major step forward after more than 15 years of unsuccessful efforts to introduce state policing through constitutional amendments.
“What this means is that state police is no longer a campaign promise or a subject of endless debate. It is now a constitutional reality. It means that the security of lives, private property and public assets occupies a prime place in the legislative agenda of the 10th National Assembly,” he said.
The senator explained that the initiative would allow individual states to establish policing structures that reflect their specific security needs and local circumstances.
He stressed that the reform was not designed to undermine the Federal Government but to reinforce Nigeria’s federal structure through a more community-focused security system.
According to him, the proposal is aimed at establishing state-led policing institutions rather than state armies, with their operations guided by clearly defined constitutional and operational standards.
Bamidele also acknowledged the role of Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, in advancing the proposal, expressing confidence that the National Assembly would complete the process.
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He said the National Assembly, under the leadership of Akpabio, “remains committed to delivering on the establishment of state police. We will not falter until every Nigerian, whether in Kuru, in Iyin-Ekiti, in Gusau or in Yenagoa, can sleep with both eyes closed.
Beyond the proposed policing reform, Bamidele highlighted several legislative interventions undertaken by the 10th National Assembly in areas such as economic development, citizens’ welfare and institutional reforms.
He maintained that the effectiveness of the legislature should be judged by how its laws improve people’s lives rather than the volume of legislation passed.
Among the measures he identified were the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act, 2024, the Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act, 2024, the four Tax Reform Acts of 2025 and the National Social Investment Programme Act.
Others include the Electoral Act, 2026, the Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act, the Investments and Securities Act, 2025, the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act, 2024, and the Regional Development Commissions Acts.
He said the legislation demonstrated the Assembly’s commitment to addressing emerging challenges, improving public institutions and strengthening governance.
Bamidele added that forward-looking lawmaking remained essential to national security, economic growth, public financial management, credible elections, education, healthcare, technological advancement, environmental protection and intergovernmental relations.
Speaking on the relationship between the National Assembly and NIPSS, he advocated closer cooperation between both institutions to strengthen policy formulation and legislative planning.
He, however, cautioned that passing legislation was only one part of the governance process, noting that effective implementation, sufficient funding and proper monitoring were equally important.
The Senate Leader said laws must address actual public needs and deliver measurable benefits to citizens.
He, thus, observed that good governance “requires good laws. But good laws alone do not guarantee good governance.
“We require laws that are relevant, evidence-based, implementable, adequately funded, properly administered, effectively monitored, periodically reviewed and ultimately measured by their impact on citizens,” Bamidele stated.