The proposed amendment to the 1999 Constitution to allow for the creation of state police has now been endorsed by 24 state Houses of Assembly.
The development means the bill has met the constitutional requirement of approval by at least two-thirds of the 36 state legislatures, as stipulated in Section 9(2) of the Constitution.
It paves the way for the bill to move to the next stage of the amendment process, which includes transmission to the President for assent.
More state Assemblies are expected to conclude deliberations on the bill next week.
The 24 states that have endorsed the bill are Adamawa, Delta, Edo, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Taraba and Zamfara.
Others are Enugu, Anambra, Imo, Ekiti, Kebbi, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Abia, Yobe and Kaduna.
The remaining 12 states whose Assemblies are yet to vote on the bill are Lagos, Ondo, Ebonyi, Kogi, Niger, Borno, Gombe, Bauchi, Jigawa, Katsina, Kano and Sokoto.
On September 16, 2026, the National Assembly transmitted the Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, to the 36 state Houses of Assembly, seeking their concurrence on establishing state police services alongside the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
Advocates of the reform say it will improve intelligence gathering and enable faster responses to local security threats such as kidnapping and banditry.
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