The Rivers State House of Assembly has backed the bill seeking to create state police across Nigeria.
The move follows the National Assembly’s transmission of the 1999 Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, to the 36 state assemblies for consideration and approval.
The bill seeks to change Nigeria’s current single police structure to a dual system made up of the Federal Police Service and State Police Services.
Ogun and Nasarawa are among other states whose assemblies have also backed the proposal.
The Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, forwarded the bill to the state assemblies on September 16, 2026, in line with Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
Under the provision, at least two-thirds of the 36 state assemblies, meaning 24, must approve a constitutional amendment before it can be sent to the president for assent.
The National Assembly leadership has given the process a 30-day administrative timeframe to support an orderly and timely conclusion.
Femi Gbajabiamila, Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, said the reform was designed to bring policing closer to Nigerians while creating safeguards to make the system more effective and trusted.
