The Rivers State House of Assembly on Monday said it fully supports the bill for the creation of state policing in Nigeria.
The development follows the transmission of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, by the National Assembly to the 36 state Houses of Assembly for their review and approval.
The House voted unanimously to approve the proposed alteration of the 1999 Constitution.
At Monday’s plenary presided over by the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, the House expressed full support for the efforts of President Bola Tinubu to secure the lives and property of citizens through the establishment of state police.
“Anything that needs to be done towards ensuring that our people are properly protected, so that people can move freely, stay in their houses, go about their normal businesses without fear or hindrance by anybody or group of persons, will continue to be our top priority,” he said
Giving legitimacy to the Bill,the Speaker drew the attention of lawmakers to Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which empowers the National Assembly to alter the Constitution.
He explained that under Section 9(2), such an alteration must be supported by two-thirds of the members of the National Assembly and approved by resolution of the houses of assembly of not less than two-thirds of all the states.
“As required by the Constitution, our responsibility will be to vote whether or not we approve of the alteration of the Constitution so proposed by the National Assembly. No debate is allowed; we will just vote whether we accept or we do not accept,” he told the House.
The Speaker then presented the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (Fifth Alteration) Bill, 2022, explaining that it seeks to create a constitutional pathway for the establishment of State Police Services, subject to the Constitution and to an Act of the National Assembly prescribing national minimum policing standards.
According to him, the bill preserves the Federal Police Service as the default police service in any state until a State Police Service is lawfully established and certified operational, and retains the continuing federal policing role in every state and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
It also establishes constitutional guardrails covering civilian control, human rights, national minimum standards, independent police service commissions, intergovernmental cooperation, criminal information systems, firearms control, and exceptional federal intervention in state policing in cases of breakdown, serious incapacity, national security threat, or egregious abuse.
The Speaker added that the detailed organisation, procedures, operational control, certification, complaints mechanisms, grants, and implementation arrangements are to be left to subsequent Acts of the National Assembly and, where applicable, the laws of the state Houses of Assembly.
He noted that the bill contains 26 clauses, including 25 alterations or substitutions to provisions of the Constitution, which he read out to the House.
These include sections 84, 89, 121, 124, 129, 153, 157, 158, 160, 197, 201, 202 and 204; Chapter VI, Part III; the substitution of sections 214, 215 and 216; the insertion of a new Section 317A; the alteration of Section 318; and amendments to the Second, Third and Fifth schedules.
Following the reading, a vote was taken, with the lawmakers all indicating support by raising their hands.
All 25 members voted in favour, none against, and no abstentions.
“By this voting, the 10th Assembly of Rivers State is fully in support of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (Fifth Alteration) Bill, 2022,” Amaewhule declared.
Further expressing confidence in the creation of state police to complement the Nigeria Police Force, the Speaker said:
“We believe in this 10th Assembly of Rivers State that everybody needs to work together. We don’t expect that there will be any state assembly that will say no to this particular effort, so that everybody can begin to work in tandem for our people to heave a sigh of relief,” he said.
The clamour for State police which started many years ago but slow in fireworks out finally had its roots sprout out in February when President Bola Tinubu announced his administration’s plans to establish the department to check insecurity.
On July 7,2026, the President through the Chief of Staff,Femi Gbajabiamila, after consultation with the Senate President,Godswill Akpabio inaugurated the Presidential Working Group on the national Policing Bill to operationalize the framework.
On September 16, 2026, the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, officially forwarded the bill in compliance with Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Section 9 of the Constitution states that any proposed amendment passed by the National Assembly requires the concurrence via resolution of at least two-thirds (24 out of 36) of the State Houses of Assembly before it can be presented for presidential assent.
Although the Constitution sets no statutory deadline for state legislatures to return their votes, the National Assembly gave a 30-day timeframe to the alteration exercise.
The Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026 seeks to establish a framework for decentralised policing in the country.
Rivers Assembly Supports State Police Bill 2026, Approves 1999 Constitution Alteration
