The state police bill has officially met the constitutional threshold required to become law. Consequently, a total of 24 state Houses of Assembly have now approved the landmark legislation.
Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution mandates approval from at least two-thirds of state legislatures before presidential assent.
Furthermore, the Senate passed the bill on June 24, followed by the House of Representatives on July 23.
Legislative clerks transmitted the document to state assemblies on September 16, 2026.
States That Have Approved the Bill
Lawmakers across two-thirds of the federation concluded voting and passed resolutions endorsing decentralized policing.
Specifically, the 24 states that have approved the bill include:
- Adamawa State
- Delta State
- Edo State
- Kwara State
- Nasarawa State
- Ogun State
- Osun State
- Oyo State
- Plateau State
- Rivers State
- Taraba State
- Zamfara State
- Enugu State
- Anambra State
- Imo State
- Ekiti State
- Kebbi State
- Akwa Ibom State
- Bayelsa State
- Benue State
- Cross River State
- Abia State
- Yobe State
- Kaduna State
States Where Deliberations Have Stalled
Meanwhile, 12 state legislatures are yet to conclude voting or pass the constitutional amendment.
The remaining states awaiting action include:
- Lagos State
- Ondo State
- Ebonyi State
- Kogi State
- Niger State
- Borno State
- Gombe State
- Bauchi State
- Jigawa State
- Katsina State
- Kano State
- Sokoto State
However, multiple legislative sources confirm that several of these remaining assemblies will debate the bill next week.
