WorldStage— The complex push to decentralise Nigeria’s security architecture has crossed a defining milestone following concurrence by 25 of the 36 State Houses of Assembly having now voted to approve the constitutional amendment bill enabling the creation of state police.
The recent endorsements by the state legislatures of Abia and Kaduna on Thursday officially pushed the tally past the two-thirds threshold required for a constitutional amendment.
Under Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution, any alteration to the supreme law requires the concurrence of at least 24 out of the 36 states before it can be transmitted for presidential assent.
The legislative greenlight from Abia and Kaduna capped a rapid wave of approvals following the expiration of the National Assembly’s initial 30-day deliberation window.
Lawmakers in Abia voted unanimously, with Deputy Speaker Austin Nmeregini stating that decentralisation would allow states to effectively target peculiar local security challenges.
In Kaduna, Information Committee Chairman Henry Marah emphasized that the current federal policing structure limits the capacity of state governors to hold security authorities accountable.
The full list of 25 states reported to have endorsed the bill includes North and Middle Belt states of Adamawa, Benue, Gombe, Kaduna, Kebbi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Plateau, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara; as well as South and Eastern states of Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, and Rivers.
Despite crossing the constitutional line, the reform faces lingering delays from 11 states that are either yet to vote or have referred the bill to internal committees.
The unconfirmed states include economic and geopolitical heavyweights like Lagos, Kano, Ondo, Ebonyi, Kogi, Niger, Borno, Bauchi, Jigawa, Katsina, and Sokoto.
In Kano, for instance, the bill was recently deferred to a House committee for further review, while other assemblies have experienced slower legislative momentum due to regional consultations on the fiscal implications of funding independent police forces.
Supporters view the overwhelming state-level endorsement as a vital victory in combating persistent national challenges with banditry, kidnapping, and terrorism.
However, even if the remaining states vote, individual assemblies must still craft local legislation addressing recruitment parameters, human rights safeguards, and operational boundaries to coexist with the federal police.
With the 24-state benchmark formally shattered, proponents are optimistic that the legal framework will successfully proceed toward presidential assent to reshape Nigeria’s domestic security framework.
