The State Police Bills have gained further legislative support in Nigeria after the Anambra and Ekiti State Houses of Assembly approved proposed constitutional changes that would allow state governments to establish their own police services, adding to ongoing efforts to reform the country’s security system and improve responses to threats across different communities.
The Anambra Assembly passed the proposed amendment during plenary in Awka on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, while lawmakers in Ekiti approved the measure on Wednesday, October 21, following deliberations on the constitutional framework for decentralised policing.
The decisions mark another stage in the process of changing Nigeria’s policing structure, which currently places primary responsibility for police services under the federal system. However, the passage of the bills by individual state assemblies does not mean that state police services can begin operations immediately, as the proposed constitutional amendment must still satisfy the relevant legal requirements.
State Police Bills Gain Support in Anambra and Ekiti
In Anambra, lawmakers passed the proposed constitutional amendment through its first, second and third readings during a single plenary sitting, after which Speaker Somtochukwu Udeze directed the Clerk of the Assembly to transmit the resolution to the National Assembly for further consideration.
The proposal originated from the Presidency and seeks to provide a constitutional foundation for establishing state police services, while retaining federal policing responsibilities and introducing safeguards to guide the operation of the proposed system.
The framework includes provisions relating to human rights protection, civilian oversight, firearms control, cooperation between federal and state authorities, and the maintenance of national policing standards, with the aim of establishing clear rules for the relationship between the different levels of policing.
In Ekiti, all 21 lawmakers present supported the bill after it passed its second and third readings during Wednesday’s plenary session, demonstrating the assembly’s approval of the proposed constitutional reform.
Speaker Adeoye Aribasoye subsequently directed the Clerk to forward the bill and the legislature’s observations to the National Assembly, while the assembly’s committee recommended an amendment to Section 317A(5) of the proposed constitutional framework.
The proposed change would expressly recognise the legislative authority of the National Assembly and state legislatures, within their respective constitutional jurisdictions, to authorise relevant security arrangements through applicable laws.
Decentralised Policing Raises Security and Accountability Questions
Supporters of state police argue that allowing state governments to establish their own police services could improve responses to emergencies, strengthen intelligence gathering and enable law enforcement agencies to address security threats with a better understanding of local conditions.
They also believe that placing policing leadership closer to communities could reduce delays in responding to distress calls and improve coordination between security personnel and residents, particularly in areas where difficult terrain or limited operational reach complicates policing activities.
However, the proposed reform has also raised concerns about political interference, inadequate funding, uneven professional standards and possible abuses of authority by state officials.
These concerns have made accountability, independent oversight and clear operational guidelines important considerations in discussions about how the proposed system should function.
Any eventual framework would need to define the responsibilities of state police services, establish safeguards against unlawful interference and clarify how state and federal authorities would cooperate when security threats cross state boundaries.
The debate therefore extends beyond whether states should establish their own police services to include how the system would be funded, supervised and held accountable under the law.
Constitutional Process Still Determines Implementation
Under Section 9(2) of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, a constitutional alteration requires approval by at least two-thirds of the 36 State Houses of Assembly, representing 24 states, before it can proceed to presidential assent.
The approvals in Anambra and Ekiti contribute to the legislative process, but they do not independently satisfy this constitutional requirement or establish operational state police services.
The National Assembly and state legislatures must complete the necessary procedures before the proposed changes can take effect, while the relevant legal framework must also provide the rules needed to establish and regulate the new services.
As the process continues, attention will remain on the number of state assemblies that approve the amendment and the safeguards included in the final framework.
The decisions in Anambra and Ekiti therefore represent further progress in Nigeria’s debate over decentralised policing, with the final outcome depending on the completion of the constitutional process and the arrangements ultimately adopted for implementing the proposed reform.
