State Police: 30 Assemblies Back Reform as National Assembly Targets Decem

Nigeria’s proposed state police system has gained the backing of at least 30 state Houses of Assembly, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele says, as the National Assembly targets December 2026 to complete the remaining legislative stages and send the constitutional amendment for presidential assent.

Bamidele announced the timetable on Thursday, October 29, while addressing participants at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies in Kuru, Plateau State. The development advances a long-running security reform debate, although his announcement does not mean the new policing structure is already operating nationwide.

State police proposal crosses state-approval threshold

According to TheCable’s report, Bamidele said formal responses from the state legislatures showed that no fewer than 30 had approved the State Police Constitution Alteration Bill, 2026.

He said this exceeded the two-thirds requirement for approval by state assemblies. With 36 states, that threshold amounts to 24 assemblies. Bamidele also serves as vice-chairman of the Senate committee reviewing the constitution, placing him among the lawmakers overseeing the reform process.

The number of approvals is significant because constitutional change requires participation beyond the federal legislature. State assemblies have a distinct role in deciding whether proposals should proceed. Their reported support is therefore a legislative milestone, rather than an announcement that new officers have been recruited or deployed.

What the December target means

Voice of Nigeria reported that the remaining work includes collating the assemblies’ responses, considering the necessary resolution in both chambers and transmitting the alteration bill to President Bola Tinubu for assent.

Bamidele’s timetable concerns those remaining legislative steps on or before December. It should not be read as a confirmed date for state police officers to begin patrols. The establishment and practical operation of a new service would require clarity about responsibilities, resources and the framework governing its work.

The distinction matters for communities following the debate. A proposed constitutional change, its final enactment and the launch of an operational service are separate developments. Each would need its own confirmation as the process moves forward.

Why supporters want policing closer to communities

Bamidele argues that decentralising policing could improve familiarity with local languages, terrain and community concerns. He presents state police as a way to strengthen Nigeria’s federal structure, with safeguards covering oversight, operational standards and human rights.

The practical questions go beyond where officers are based. A credible system would need clear lines of authority, dependable funding, recruitment standards and accessible ways for citizens to report misconduct. Those are issues to assess against the final legislation and implementation arrangements, rather than assume have been resolved by the approval figures alone.

Premium Times’ account of the proposal says the federal police would retain an Inspector-General, while state services would have commissioners appointed by governors and confirmed by their assemblies. It also reports restrictions against converting existing regional security outfits directly into the proposed services.

What to watch as the process continues

Earlier reporting provides context for the current announcement. Premium Times reported in September that the constitutional alteration bill had been transmitted to state assemblies for consideration, with an administrative expectation that responses would arrive within 30 days. That reporting distinguished the requested response period from a constitutional deadline.

Attention now turns to the formal consideration of those responses, the resolution described by Bamidele and any subsequent presidential action. The final published text will also be important for assessing exactly how the responsibilities of federal and state authorities would work together.

For now, the state police proposal has reported backing from 30 assemblies and a December legislative target. Nigerians should distinguish that progress from a completed reform and watch for official confirmation of each remaining stage.