The Rivers State House of Assembly has unanimously endorsed the constitutional amendment seeking to establish State Police Services in Nigeria, becoming one of the state legislatures to back the proposed decentralised policing system.
All 25 lawmakers present at Monday’s plenary voted in favour of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, after considering the proposal transmitted to the state legislature by the National Assembly.
The development followed the transmission of the bill to the 36 state Houses of Assembly on September 16, 2026, in line with Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution. The National Assembly has given the state legislatures 30 days to consider the proposal and communicate their resolutions.
Under Section 9 of the Constitution, the proposed alteration requires approval by at least two-thirds of the 36 state Houses of Assembly, meaning a minimum of 24 state legislatures must support the bill before the constitutional amendment can proceed to the next stage.
Rivers’ endorsement therefore adds to the growing number of state legislatures considering the proposal, following earlier support from Osun State.
The plenary was presided over by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, who said the Assembly supported efforts by President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Government to strengthen security and protect lives and property.
Before the vote, Amaewhule drew lawmakers’ attention to Section 9 of the Constitution, explaining that the role of the Assembly was to determine whether it accepted or rejected the proposed constitutional alteration.
He said the bill seeks to provide a constitutional pathway for the establishment of State Police Services, subject to national minimum policing standards prescribed by the National Assembly.
Following the reading of the proposed amendment, lawmakers voted by raising their hands.
The Clerk subsequently announced that 25 members voted in favour, with none against and no abstention.
“By this vote, the 10th Assembly of Rivers State is fully in support of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026,” Amaewhule declared.
According to the Speaker, the proposed amendment contains 26 clauses, including 25 alterations to provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
The framework would allow states to establish their own police services while retaining the Federal Police as the default policing authority in a state until a state police service is lawfully established and certified operational.
The proposal also retains a continuing federal policing role across the states and the Federal Capital Territory.
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Among the safeguards outlined in the bill are provisions covering civilian control, human rights, national minimum policing standards, independent Police Service Commissions, intergovernmental cooperation, criminal information systems, firearms control and mechanisms for exceptional federal intervention.
The bill also leaves issues including the detailed organisation, operational procedures, certification, complaints mechanisms, grants and implementation arrangements to subsequent legislation by the National Assembly and, where applicable, state Houses of Assembly.
Amaewhule described policing at the sub-national level as a welcome development that could complement the Federal Police.
He said the Rivers Assembly believed state legislatures should work together to support measures aimed at improving security across the country.
The Speaker thanked lawmakers for consulting their constituents before taking a position on the bill, noting that Nigerians had for years advocated policing structures closer to the communities they serve.
The National Assembly’s transmission of the State Police Bill marks the next stage in the constitutional process, with the outcome now dependent on the resolutions of the 36 state Houses of Assembly.
