Why We Can’t Decide On State Police Bill Yet – Speakers

The Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria (CSSLN) has urged the National Assembly to transmit the State Police Constitution Amendment Bill to the 36 State Houses of Assembly for consideration, saying lawmakers at the state level cannot begin deliberations until the bill is formally received..

The constitutional amendment requires the approval of at least 24 State Houses of Assembly before it can become part of the Constitution.

Speaking in Asaba, Delta State, chairman of the Conference and Delta State House of Assembly Speaker, Rt. Hon. Dennis Guwor, said contrary to public assumption, the bill had not yet reached the state legislatures.

“It will be difficult for state assemblies to deliberate on the bill until it is officially transmitted to us. Although both chambers of the National Assembly have passed identical versions, the bill has not yet been received by the state legislatures,” he said.

Guwor expressed confidence that the National Assembly would soon complete the transmission in line with the constitutional amendment process.

The Senate passed the Executive State Police Bill on 24 June 2026 after considering the report of the Constitution Review Committee chaired by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin. The House of Representatives followed on 23 July, with 311 members voting in support—276 physically and 35 virtually—well above the constitutional requirement of 240 votes. President Bola Tinubu had transmitted the executive bill to the House on 14 July, describing it as an improvement on previous legislative efforts with additional safeguards for a dual policing system.

Presidency unveils implementation road map

Meanwhile, the Presidency has unveiled a seven-week implementation roadmap for the proposed state police system, stressing that no state will be permitted to establish its own police service until it satisfies nationally prescribed standards on professionalism, accountability and protection of citizens’ rights.

Briefing State House correspondents after the inaugural meeting of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, Chief of Staff to the President and Chairman of the Working Group, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the committee was established to develop an implementation-ready legal framework before the constitutional amendment takes effect.

He noted that although both chambers of the National Assembly had passed the constitutional amendment, it would not become law until approved by at least 24 State Houses of Assembly.

“Until that constitutional process is completed and the necessary implementing legislation is enacted, no state police service exists anywhere in Nigeria. The Nigeria Police Force remains the constitutionally recognised police institution,” he said.

Gbajabiamila explained that the working group would review the Police Act 2020, Police Service Commission framework, police regulations and other affected laws. It will also develop national minimum policing standards, determine state readiness, establish funding arrangements, define federal-state cooperation, create independent complaints mechanisms, regulate firearms control and recommend transition procedures.

According to him, the Working Group comprises representatives of the Presidency, the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and the Nigerian Bar Association.

He added that President Tinubu had also approved a multidisciplinary Policy Advisory Committee chaired by Mohammed Abdullahi Liman to provide independent technical oversight and review successive drafts of the proposed legislation before submission to the President.

Gbajabiamila said the implementation programme would run from 27 July to 14 September 2026, while the Executive Bill package would be presented to President Tinubu on 3 September.

“The final package will include not just a Bill but schedules, an explanatory memorandum, a legal audit, consequential amendments, a state readiness framework, fiscal and implementation notes, a validation report, a risk register and a controlled digital archive,” he said.

He emphasised that decentralised policing must not undermine national unity or become a tool for political persecution.

“State police cannot mean 36 state militias, just as national standards cannot become a disguised method of centralising day-to-day state policing. No political officeholder should be able to direct the arrest of an opponent, suppress lawful political activity or selectively enforce the law,” he said.

Gbajabiamila added that operational approval for any state police service would depend on demonstrated capacity in recruitment, training,a funding, discipline, independent oversight, firearms control and financial sustainability.

He also announced an open call for memoranda and position papers from Nigerians and relevant stakeholders to enrich the proposed legislation.

Responding to questions, Gbajabiamila said it was too early to estimate the cost of implementing state police, noting that funding projections would be based on empirical studies and state-by-state assessments.

Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, said the National Policing Bill would provide the operational framework for implementing the constitutional amendment by defining the powers of federal and state police, funding arrangements, jurisdictions and consequential amendments to existing laws.

He stressed that the exercise was not intended to retain federal control over state policing but to ensure a workable and effective legal framework.

Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun described the proposed state police framework as one of the Tinubu administration’s most significant governance and security reforms.

Senate assures bill will become law

The Senate has assured Nigerians that the State Police Bill will become law before the expiration of the 10th National Assembly.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu (Ekiti South), told Our Correspondent that the bill had completed all legislative stages at the National Assembly and was being prepared for transmission to the State Houses of Assembly.

“The State Police Bill has already scaled all legislative hurdles in both chambers. It is now being prepared for transmission to the State Houses of Assembly in line with the constitutional amendment process,” he said.

Adaramodu said approval by at least 24 state legislatures remained the final constitutional requirement before the amendment could be assented to.

“It is pertinent to inform Nigerians that the State Police Bill shall become law within the lifespan of the current 10th National Assembly,” he added.

He said the legislation reflects the National Assembly’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture through a more effective and responsive policing system.

House spokesman Hon. Akin Rotimi also confirmed that no conference committee was required because both chambers passed identical versions of the Executive Bill.

“The Bill is currently being finalised for transmission to the State Houses of Assembly in line with the constitutional amendment process,” he said.

Under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), a constitutional amendment requires the support of at least two-thirds of members of each chamber of the National Assembly and approval by not fewer than 24 State Houses of Assembly before it can become law.