Senate Leader: Four States Haven't Sent Resolutions on State Police

The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, has said that four out of Nigeria’s 36 state Houses of Assembly have not sent their resolutions on state police to the National Assembly.

Bamidele, who represents Ekiti Central Senatorial District, mentioned that even though the National Assembly is waiting for these resolutions, their delay won't stop federal lawmakers from moving forward. They will still send the bill to the president for his approval.

He made this statement on Friday during an award ceremony held by The Sun Publishing Limited in Abuja, as noted by his media office on Sunday.

Mr. Bamidele received the Senator of the Year award from the newspaper.

On November 4, during a session, the Senate set November 15 as the deadline for state Houses of Assembly to submit their resolutions about the creation of state police.

At that time, six states had not yet sent their resolutions. These states were Kano, Oyo, Cross River, Abia, Niger, and Benue.

When discussing this issue, the Senate Leader did not mention which two state assemblies had sent their resolutions or which ones were still lagging.

“We are now expecting four State Houses of Assembly to turn in their reports before the National Assembly resumes on November 17, 2026. This week will be crucial and important for the National Assembly. Whether the remaining states send in their reports or not, we must move ahead and meet the hopes of our people,” he said.

Mr. Bamidele stated that the National Assembly has a duty to send the bill to the presidency for approval in the interest of national peace and stability.

“We are now required to send the State Police (Constitution Alteration) Bill, 2026 to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for assent. This is a duty we must fulfill on behalf of our constituents and for the sake of national peace and progress,” he explained.

The Senate leader emphasized that the proposed state police system is not designed to create ethnic or state armies. Instead, it aims to create community-based policing with clear constitutional rules.

Bamidele’s comments suggested that the proposal has met the constitutional requirement of approval from at least two-thirds of the 36 state assemblies, which is 24 states.

The National Assembly can now continue with the other parts of the constitutional amendment process. This includes merging the versions passed by both chambers before sending the bill to the president for approval.

The proposal was sent to the state assemblies in September for their review as part of the ongoing amendment of the 1999 Constitution.

It aims to establish state police services that will work alongside the current federal police system.

Under this proposal, state governors would appoint police commissioners, but they must be confirmed by their state Houses of Assembly. Governors would also be able to direct state police on issues related to security.

While the federal police will still be led by the Inspector-General of Police, each state police service will be headed by a commissioner chosen by the governor and confirmed by the state assembly.

The proposal also stops local security groups from becoming state police services or using police powers under the new rules. These groups, like Amotekun in the South-west, Ebube Agu in the South-east, and Hisbah in parts of northern Nigeria, will not be allowed to carry firearms.