The Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill has welcomed the reported approval of the Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, by 24 State Houses of Assembly, meeting the constitutional requirement for advancing a proposed amendment to establish a dual policing system in Nigeria.
Chief of Staff to the President and chairman of the working group, Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed the development in a statement on Friday, commending the state legislatures for supporting what the group described as a reform of national importance.
The proposed amendment seeks to provide a constitutional foundation for a policing structure comprising federal and state police services, a change that could significantly reshape security administration across the country.
Under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, a constitutional amendment requires approval by at least two-thirds of the State Houses of Assembly, representing 24 of Nigeria’s 36 states, after the National Assembly has passed the proposal.
Gbajabiamila also acknowledged the role of the National Assembly in approving the amendment in both chambers.
According to the statement, the proposal could proceed to the next stage of the constitutional amendment process following the state-level approvals. The relevant legislative and presidential steps must still be completed before the amendment can take effect.
The development comes amid longstanding calls for state policing as a response to security challenges, including kidnapping, banditry, communal violence and other crimes that have placed pressure on Nigeria’s existing security institutions.
Advocates of state police argue that locally administered forces could improve intelligence gathering, shorten response times and enable security agencies to respond more effectively to the specific needs of individual communities.
However, the proposal has also generated debate over the risk of political interference, the protection of human rights, funding arrangements and the need for effective oversight to prevent abuses by state authorities.
A dual policing system would require clear rules defining the responsibilities of federal and state police services, alongside mechanisms for accountability, professional standards and cooperation between the different levels of government.
The Presidential Working Group has been developing a draft National Policing Bill, 2026, intended to provide a legislative framework for the proposed structure. The Presidency said on October 20 that the draft bill and related amendment proposals had been submitted to the Federal Ministry of Justice for legislative drafting review and validation.
The reported approval by the state assemblies therefore represents an important stage in the constitutional process, but it does not, by itself, mean that state police services have already been established.
Further legislative and implementation steps will determine the final structure, powers and safeguards governing the proposed system.