Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele says the four remaining state Houses of Assembly have until Tuesday, November 17, 2026, to submit their reports on the proposed establishment of state police.
Bamidele disclosed that 32 state assemblies had approved the State Police (Constitution Alteration) Bill, 2026, saying the National Assembly had met the constitutional requirement for the proposed amendment.
He made this known in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday after receiving The Sun Senator of the Year Award in recognition of his contributions to parliamentary leadership and lawmaking.
According to the Senate Leader, approval by 32 state assemblies met the threshold required under Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution.
He said the National Assembly was expecting the remaining four assemblies to submit their reports before lawmakers resume on November 17.
“We are now expecting four State Houses of Assembly to turn in their reports on or before the National Assembly reconvenes on November 17, 2026. This suggests that next week is going to be decisive and defining in the National Assembly,” he said.
Bamidele added that the National Assembly would proceed with the constitutional amendment process regardless of whether the outstanding reports were submitted.
He said lawmakers were expected to transmit the bill to President Bola Tinubu for assent as part of efforts to decentralise the country’s policing system.
Naija News reports that the proposed amendment seeks to establish a Federal Police Service and State Police Services, replacing Nigeria’s existing centralised policing structure with a decentralised arrangement.
The proposal has attracted support amid persistent security challenges, including banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and communal violence.
However, concerns remain over possible political interference, abuse of power and the use of state police to intimidate political opponents.
Addressing these concerns, Bamidele maintained that the proposal was not designed to create ethnic or state armies but to establish community-based policing structures operating within constitutional safeguards.
The Senate Leader also defended the National Assembly’s legislative performance, arguing that lawmakers should be judged by the impact of their legislation on citizens rather than the number of bills passed.
He cited the Student Loan (Access to Higher Education) Act, 2024, noting that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund had disbursed more than N204bn to applicants across 89 colleges, 108 polytechnics and 126 universities.
He also highlighted the National Social Investment Programmes Act, 2023, Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act, 2024, Tax Reform Acts, 2025, Investments and Securities Act, 2025, and Electoral Act, 2026.
