The National Assembly has clarified that the State Police Bill is the only Constitution Alteration Bill transmitted so far to the 36 State Houses of Assembly for consideration.
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The clarification was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, following reports suggesting that all the Constitution Alteration Bills being considered by the federal legislature had been forwarded to the states.
Ogunlana said the National Assembly announced on September 16, 2026, the transmission of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026.
The proposed legislation is titled, “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Provide for the Establishment of State Police Services; and for Related Matters.”
According to the Clerk, no other Constitution Alteration Bill has been transmitted to the State Houses of Assembly.
“For the avoidance of doubt, it is only this particular Bill that has so far been transmitted to the State Houses of Assembly for consideration and approval,” Ogunlana said.
He added that it was incorrect to suggest or create the impression that every Constitution Alteration Bill before the National Assembly had already been sent to the states.
The Clerk explained that the National Assembly accorded priority to the State Police Bill in response to widespread public demands for decentralised policing and the need to address the country’s security challenges through an appropriate constitutional and legal framework.
The proposed alteration seeks to permit states to establish and operate their own police services alongside the existing federally controlled Nigeria Police Force.
Supporters of the proposal argue that state police could improve intelligence gathering, response times and familiarity with local security challenges.
Concerns have, however, been raised about the possibility of state governors using the proposed police services against political opponents, as well as disparities in funding, training, operational standards and accountability among the states.
The Constitution currently places policing under the Federal Government. Consequently, the creation of constitutionally recognised state police services requires alterations to relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
Under Section 9 of the Constitution, an alteration of this nature must receive the constitutionally prescribed majority in both chambers of the National Assembly and be approved by resolutions of at least two-thirds of the 36 State Houses of Assembly.
The State Police Bill must therefore secure the support of at least 24 State Houses of Assembly to satisfy the state-level approval requirement.
Ogunlana explained that the other Constitution Alteration Bills would be transmitted to the states only after they had been passed in identical form by both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
This means that where the two chambers pass different versions of a proposed alteration, the differences must first be harmonised and the same text approved by both chambers before it can be forwarded to the states.
The National Assembly urged members of the public and the media to rely on its official communications for accurate information concerning the ongoing constitution review exercise.
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