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Rivers State House of Assembly has endorsed the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, backing the proposed constitutional amendment to establish a legal framework for the creation and operation of state police across the country.
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The resolution followed the transmission of the State Police Bill by the National Assembly to the 36 state Houses of Assembly, in line with the constitutional procedure for altering the 1999 Constitution.
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At least 24 of the 36 state Houses of Assembly must approve the amendment before it can proceed to the next stage, as stipulated by Section 9 of the Constitution.
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The proposed state police system is part of a broader push to decentralise policing and strengthen Nigeria’s response to insecurity, with proponents arguing that policing closer to communities could improve intelligence gathering.
September 28, (THEWILL) – The Rivers State House of Assembly has endorsed the proposed constitutional amendment seeking to establish state police across Nigeria, throwing its weight behind a major policing reform currently before state legislatures.
The resolution followed the transmission of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, by the National Assembly to the 36 state Houses of Assembly for consideration and approval.
The bill seeks to amend the 1999 Constitution to create a legal and institutional framework for the establishment and operation of state police, potentially altering Nigeria’s existing centralised policing structure.
Rivers lawmakers endorsed the proposal on Monday, making Rivers one of the states to formally indicate support for the constitutional alteration as the process moves through the state legislatures.
The transmission of the bill followed a formal communication by the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, on September 16, 2026, to the state legislatures.
The process is being conducted pursuant to Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, which prescribes the procedure for altering the Constitution.
Under the provision, a constitutional amendment passed by the National Assembly requires the approval, by resolution, of not less than two-thirds of all the state Houses of Assembly before it can proceed to the President for assent.
With 36 state legislatures in the country, the required threshold is 24 Houses of Assembly.
The National Assembly has not imposed a statutory deadline on the state legislatures for returning their resolutions.
However, its leadership has adopted a 30-day administrative timeframe to encourage the Houses of Assembly to consider the proposal and communicate their positions within an orderly period.
The Rivers Assembly’s endorsement therefore forms part of a wider constitutional process that must be completed before the proposed amendment can become part of the nation’s supreme law.
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Background
The push for state police has intensified in recent years amid persistent security challenges across different parts of Nigeria and concerns over the capacity of the centrally controlled Nigeria Police Force to respond effectively to threats spread across the country’s vast territory.
Supporters of the reform have argued that state-controlled police could bring policing closer to communities, improve local intelligence gathering, and enable quicker responses to security threats peculiar to individual states.
The proposal, however, involves significant constitutional and institutional questions, including the structure of command, operational safeguards, funding, accountability and the protection of police personnel from political interference.
The current constitutional framework provides for the Nigeria Police Force as a federal institution, with policing largely controlled from the centre.
The proposed amendment seeks to create a constitutional basis for states to establish and operate their own police formations alongside the existing federal structure.
The state police proposal has also received backing from President Bola Tinubu, with the administration advancing broader reforms aimed at restructuring policing and improving internal security.
A Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill was subsequently inaugurated to work on the framework for implementing the proposed policing structure.
The Chairman of the working group, Femi Gbajabiamila, had said the reform was intended to bring policing closer to Nigerians while establishing safeguards capable of making the system more effective and trusted.
The proposed constitutional alteration is therefore expected to determine the legal foundation upon which the decentralised policing arrangement would operate.
For the amendment to advance, the required number of state legislatures must endorse the bill before it can return to the National Assembly and subsequently be presented to the President for assent.
The outcome of the ongoing votes by the 36 state Houses of Assembly will determine whether the constitutional process for establishing state police secures the required nationwide legislative support.
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
