The House of Representatives has passed the executive bill seeking to establish state police services, with 311 lawmakers voting in favour of the proposed constitutional amendment.
Speaker of the House, Abbas Tajudeen, disclosed that 35 lawmakers participated in the voting virtually, while 276 members were physically present in the chamber. The passage followed the consideration and adoption of the report of the House Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, chaired by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, during plenary.
The bill, titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to Provide for the Establishment of State Police Services and for Related Matters (HB. 2797),” seeks to amend the Constitution to create a legal framework for the establishment of state police services.
President Bola Tinubu recently transmitted the executive bill to the House of Representatives, following the Senate’s earlier passage of its own version. In his letter conveying the bill, Tinubu said the proposal builds on previous efforts by the House and introduces safeguards to ensure the creation of a dual policing structure capable of addressing Nigeria’s security challenges.
The House had earlier passed its own Constitution Alteration Bill on State Police on June 11, 2026, before proceeding on recess. However, the decision was rescinded on July 14 following the transmission of President Tinubu’s executive bill, allowing lawmakers to consider the President’s proposal.
The bill will now proceed through the constitutional amendment process, requiring approval by at least two-thirds of the 36 state houses of assembly before it can be sent to the President for assent. The passage marks a significant step towards decentralising Nigeria’s policing system, a move that has been debated for decades.