The State Police Debate, Explained

Nigeria has one police force for a country of more than 200 million people across 36 states. Whether that should change is one of the longest-running arguments in Nigerian politics, and it is currently closer to resolution than it has ever been.

The rule being challenged

Section 214(1) of the 1999 Constitution: there shall be a police force for Nigeria, and "no other police force shall be established for the Federation or any part thereof."

Amending that requires a constitutional alteration, which requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers of the National Assembly and approval by at least 24 of the 36 state Houses of Assembly under section 9(3).

Where the bill stands

The National Assembly passed the Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, which would allow states to establish their own police forces.

The Clerk to the National Assembly transmitted it to all 36 state Houses of Assembly on 16 September 2026. The assemblies have 30 days to consider it and return resolutions, which puts the window closing around 16 October 2026.

As at 23 September 2026, reporting indicated that Rivers, Adamawa, Anambra, Kaduna, Kano and Kwara had not confirmed receipt; Bayelsa had received it but lawmakers were awaiting the governor's approval before proceeding; and Plateau had begun committee scrutiny. Coverage frames governors, rather than legislators, as the decisive actors.

We could not confirm that any assembly had formally voted by 27 September 2026, and we could not obtain the exact text of the alteration — including whether state forces would be concurrent with or subordinate to the Nigeria Police Force, how they would be funded, who would command them, and what would happen to section 215.

Those are not minor details. They are most of the substance.

The case for

Local knowledge. Policing depends on knowing an area and its people. Officers posted far from home, rotating through unfamiliar communities and often not speaking the local language, are at a structural disadvantage — particularly in rural areas where a community's own information is the only intelligence available.

Numbers. With just over 370,000 officers, Nigeria is roughly one officer per 600 citizens against a UN benchmark of one per 450. A single federal force has not closed that gap in decades.

Response time. Command running through Abuja adds delay in a country where rural attacks unfold over hours.

Accountability. A governor held responsible for security in his state currently has no force to direct. State police would align responsibility with authority.

The case against

Political capture. This is the strongest objection and it deserves to be stated at full strength. State governors in Nigeria control state electoral commissions, state judiciaries' funding, and state assemblies. Adding an armed force to that concentration creates an obvious instrument for suppressing opposition, intimidating voters, and settling local disputes.

Funding. Many states struggle to pay the ₦70,000 minimum wage. A police force requires salaries, pensions, vehicles, forensics and training on a permanent basis. An unpaid police force is a predatory one.

Fragmentation. Criminals cross state lines. Thirty-six forces with separate command, separate records and separate procedures could be easier to evade than one.

Precedent. The regional police forces of the First Republic were used for political purposes, which is part of why they were abolished.

What the evidence actually shows

Honestly, not much either way for Nigeria specifically. Federations with decentralised policing — the United States, Germany, Canada — have both good and bad examples, and their institutional contexts differ enormously from Nigeria's. Anybody claiming the comparative evidence settles this is overstating it.

What is clearer is that the status quo is not working in large parts of the north. That is an argument for change, not automatically an argument for this change.

What happens next

If 24 assemblies approve within the window, the alteration proceeds to presidential assent. If they do not, the bill fails and the argument resumes in the next constitutional review cycle.

Given the January 2027 election timetable, both outcomes will be read politically.

Frequently asked questions

How many states must approve? At least 24 of 36, under section 9(3) of the Constitution.

When is the deadline? The assemblies were given 30 days from 16 September 2026, so around 16 October 2026.

Would state police replace the Nigeria Police Force? The published reporting does not establish this. The text of the alteration was not available to us.

Sources

• Transmission to state assemblies and status — BusinessDay, 23 September 2026
• Sections 9, 214 and 215 — Constitute Project
• Police strength — TheCable