32 states back State Police Bill, clearing constitutional threshold for amendment

Thirty-two state assemblies have approved the State Police Bill, meeting the two-thirds constitutional requirement to amend the 1999 Constitution and allow state-level policing. The approvals were transmitted to the National Assembly on Wednesday, leaving only Katsina, Bauchi, Borno, and Niger states outstanding.

The bill now advances to the next stage of the constitutional amendment process before presidential assent. Proponents argue state police will tackle insecurity, banditry, and kidnapping more effectively through localized command structures. Critics warn governors could weaponize state forces against political opponents or marginalized communities.

Approving states span all six geopolitical zones: Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara.

If enacted, each state would control recruitment, funding, and deployment—shifting security architecture from exclusive federal control. The four holdout states include three in the Northeast (Bauchi, Borno, Yobe approved) and Niger in North Central, regions where federal forces currently lead counterinsurgency operations.

Would you trust your state government with police powers, or does centralized command better prevent abuse in Nigeria's polarized politics?

SOURCE: https://dailypost.ng/2026/10/29/32-states-say-yes-to-state-police-4-awaited-full-list/