The Rivers State House of Assembly has endorsed the proposed constitutional amendment seeking to establish State Police Services in Nigeria.
The position was reached during plenary on Monday, September 28, 2026, following the transmission of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, to the 36 State Houses of Assembly.
The proposed amendment is designed to provide a constitutional framework for a two-tier policing arrangement in Nigeria, consisting of the Federal Police Service and State Police Services.
Under the proposal, states would be able to establish their own police services while the existing federal policing structure would remain in place.
The National Assembly transmitted the State Police constitutional amendment to the state legislatures as part of the next stage of the constitutional alteration process.
The National Assembly has clarified that the State Police proposal is the only constitutional alteration bill so far transmitted to the 36 state assemblies in the current process.
For the amendment to proceed, it must receive approval from at least two-thirds of the 36 State Houses of Assembly, meaning at least 24 state legislatures must approve it.
The National Assembly has also indicated that the 30-day period given to state assemblies to communicate their decisions is an administrative timeframe rather than a constitutional deadline.
Rivers has now joined the growing number of state legislatures considering the proposed policing reform.
Other state assemblies, including Ogun and Nasarawa, have also been involved in the ongoing consideration of the State Police proposal. Reports indicate that Nasarawa lawmakers were scheduled to begin consideration of the bill on September 28.
The proposed reform comes amid a long-running national debate over whether policing responsibilities should be decentralised to enable states to respond more directly to security challenges.
The final outcome will depend on the decisions of the state legislatures and the subsequent constitutional steps required under Nigeria’s amendment process.
