By Samuel Akpan
Nigeria took a major step toward decentralized policing as 24 state assemblies approved the constitutional amendment for state police services, officially reaching the required two-thirds threshold.
The states that have given the green light include Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, Kebbi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.
PerSecondNews reports that Kano is set for plenary, Bauchi and Katsina remain under committee review, while Abia, Borno, Ebonyi, Kogi, Ondo and Sokoto have received the proposal, with Jigawa, Lagos and Niger showing no public updates.
Resolutions from the approving states will return to the National Assembly for confirmation before presidential assent, establishing the legal foundation for state police services to operate alongside the federal force.
The draft National Policing Bill, under Federal Ministry of Justice review, will define standards, certification, oversight and funding before National Assembly passage, while individual states must still enact their own enabling laws.
State police services can only launch after being certified for national minimum standards through a phased process.
Once operational, they will remain subject to ongoing federal coordination, inspections, accountability, and potential intervention powers.
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