Constitutional amendment (Sixth Alteration) to let each of the 36 states run its own police force alongside the federal police. The Senate passed it on 24 Jun 2026 and the House passed the harmonised executive version on 23 Jul 2026 (311 votes) after rescinding its earlier June text; it is now being finalised for transmission to the 36 state Houses of Assembly, two-thirds of which must ratify before presidential assent.
This is a bill, not a signed Act. It must clear every step below before becoming law.
Constitutional amendment bill that would decentralise Nigerian policing for the first time since 1979. Each of the 36 states would be permitted to establish its own police force, meeting a minimum national requirement and operating alongside the federal Nigeria Police Force. The federal police retains exclusive jurisdiction over counterterrorism, border patrol, organised crime and other national-security matters. The bill is the federal-government response to escalating rural insecurity — a lack of police presence in vast rural areas has allowed militant groups and bandits to operate without challenge.