State Police Amendment Wins Backing of 15 States, Nine More Needed for Threshold
Fifteen state Houses of Assembly have now backed the constitutional amendment seeking to create a framework for state police in Nigeria, moving the proposal closer to the minimum number of state approvals required for constitutional alteration.
The latest tally rose after Ekiti and Kebbi joined states that had already approved the amendment.
But the proposal is not yet law.
Under Nigeria’s constitutional amendment process, the bill requires approval by at least two-thirds of the 36 state Houses of Assembly — 24 states — to satisfy the state-concurrence threshold.
That means the proposal still needs support from at least nine more state assemblies.
Why the tally has been changing
The National Assembly transmitted the amendment to all 36 state assemblies on September 16 as part of the current constitution-review process.
State assemblies have since been considering and voting on the proposal at different times.
That has produced rapidly changing national tallies.
Earlier reports on October 21 placed the number of approving states at between 12 and 13, depending on when individual votes were recorded and published.
With subsequent approvals from Ekiti and Kebbi, the latest verified tally stands at 15.
For a fast-moving constitutional process, that distinction matters.
A count published in the morning can be overtaken by another state vote later the same day.
The 30-day request is not the constitutional threshold
When transmitting the amendment, the National Assembly asked state assemblies to communicate their decisions within 30 days.
That timeline is an administrative request tied to the constitution-review process.
It is not the constitutional approval threshold itself.
The constitutional requirement is that at least 24 of the 36 state Houses of Assembly approve the amendment.
What the amendment seeks to do
The proposal seeks to create a constitutional basis for state-level police services alongside the existing federal police structure.
The debate has been driven by long-running concerns about insecurity, response times, local intelligence and whether a centrally controlled police system can adequately meet the needs of every state.
Supporters argue that state police could improve local responsiveness and allow security structures to reflect different state-level risks.
Critics have raised concerns about political control, unequal funding and the risk that state police structures could be abused by governors or used against political opponents.
Those policy arguments remain unresolved.
The immediate legislative question is narrower:
Can the amendment secure enough state-level concurrence to continue through the constitutional process?
Fifteen approvals are significant — but not decisive
Fifteen approvals show clear momentum.
They do not amount to constitutional completion.
The required state-concurrence threshold is 24 assemblies.
Even if that threshold is reached, the amendment would still have to proceed through the remaining constitutional steps, including presidential assent, before taking legal effect.
Reaching 24 approvals would therefore be a major milestone.
It would not mean state police services begin operating immediately.
State police would still need an operating framework
Even after constitutional approval, further legislation and implementation rules would be needed to determine how state police services would work in practice.
Those issues include command structure, recruitment, funding, jurisdiction, oversight and accountability.
They also include the relationship between state police and the Nigeria Police Force.
The strength of those safeguards would be central to whether an eventual state-police system improves security without creating new avenues for political abuse.
The accountability questions
As more state assemblies vote, several issues require scrutiny.
Which states have approved the amendment?
Which have rejected it or deferred consideration?
What safeguards are being proposed against political interference?
How would state police be funded?
Who would appoint and remove commanders?
How would jurisdiction be divided between state and federal police?
And what independent oversight would exist when officers abuse their powers?
Those questions are as important as the headline tally.
What is verified
The National Assembly transmitted the state-police constitutional amendment to all 36 state assemblies on September 16.
The latest verified count shows 15 state assemblies have backed the proposal.
At least 24 states are required to satisfy the state-concurrence threshold.
That means nine more approvals are still needed.
The amendment has advanced significantly, but it has not completed the constitutional process.
No operational state police service has been created by these votes alone.
Because state assemblies are still considering the proposal, the tally must be rechecked immediately before publication.