By Adamu Yusuf
The Senate 30 out of the 36 State Houses of Assembly have approved the proposed constitutional amendment seeking to establish state police services across the country.
Presenting an update on the legislative process, the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele , explained that the National Assembly had completed its part of the constitutional amendment process by passing the bill and transmitting it to the state legislatures for consideration and approval.
He said the Constitution requires three stages for an amendment: passage by the National Assembly, approval by at least two-thirds of the State Houses of Assembly, and presidential assent.
Senator Bamidele noted that the required two-thirds majority translates to 24 states, meaning that the 30 states that have so far approved the bill have already surpassed the constitutional threshold.
The states that have approved the proposed amendment are Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.
The Senate Leader expressed optimism that the remaining six states would communicate their decisions before November 15, 2026, the deadline given to the state legislatures.
Also speaking, the Deputy President of the Senate and Chairman of the Senate Committee on State Police, Senator Barau Jibrin, disclosed that Kano State had completed the necessary legislative process and that its response was being transmitted to the National Assembly.
Senator Barau expressed confidence that all 36 states would eventually participate in the constitutional amendment process, describing the proposed establishment of state police as an epoch-making development in the country’s security architecture.
In his remarks, the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, stressed the importance of allowing the remaining six states sufficient time to communicate whether they had approved or rejected the proposed amendment.
He said it was necessary to ensure that all states were consulted on such a significant constitutional change before the bill was transmitted to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for assent.
Responding to the Senate President, Senator Bamidele clarified that the Clerk to the National Assembly had, on October 15, 2026, formally communicated the proposed amendment to all 36 State Houses of Assembly, giving them 30 days, ending November 15, to consider and respond.
He explained that the National Assembly intended to transmit the bill to the President for assent from November 15, expressing confidence that the six outstanding states would communicate their decisions before the deadline.
Senator Bamidele added that any State House of Assembly that failed to respond by the deadline would be treated in accordance with the constitutional amendment procedure.
He said the update was necessary to keep senators informed and share the progress made so far with Nigerians.
Editing by Khadija Kubau
