RismadarVoice Reporters
October 28, 2026
The Bauchi State House of Assembly has approved the proposed amendment to the 1999 Constitution seeking to establish state police services in Nigeria.
The resolution was adopted during plenary on Wednesday following consideration of recommendations presented by the House Committee on Constitutional Amendment.
The Deputy Speaker and interim Chairman of the committee, Jamilu Ummaru, presented the recommendations to lawmakers, stressing the need to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.
Ummaru explained that the proposed amendment would provide a constitutional framework enabling state governments to establish police services that would operate alongside the existing federal policing structure.
He said the initiative was intended to improve responses to security challenges by bringing law enforcement closer to communities.
According to the deputy speaker, the establishment of state police would provide additional support in addressing insecurity and improving the protection of lives and property.
He noted that the assembly’s approval represented Bauchi State’s position on the proposed constitutional alteration transmitted to state legislatures by the National Assembly.
The development follows growing legislative support for the establishment of state police across the country.
On October 23, the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill announced that 24 state assemblies had endorsed the proposal, meeting the two-thirds threshold required under Section 9 of the Constitution.
Four additional assemblies—Lagos, Kano, Sokoto and Ebonyi—subsequently approved the amendment on October 27.
With Bauchi’s latest endorsement, the number of approving state legislatures has increased further, although a consolidated official tally remains subject to confirmation.
The proposed constitutional framework would allow federal and state police services to operate within clearly defined areas of responsibility.
Under the arrangement, federal police would retain responsibility for national security matters, while state police services would focus on law enforcement and public safety within their respective jurisdictions.
The proposed reforms also contain provisions addressing operational responsibilities, oversight, funding and cooperation between the two policing structures.
However, approval by state assemblies does not automatically establish state police forces.
The constitutional amendment must complete the remaining legislative and presidential approval processes before taking effect.
Separate legislation setting out the operational framework for the proposed police services is also undergoing review.
The Bauchi Assembly’s decision therefore represents another stage in the nationwide constitutional reform process aimed at decentralising policing and strengthening internal security.
