The Lagos State House of Assembly on Tuesday joined 24 other State Houses of Assembly in approving the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026. This legislative move clears the path for presidential assent and the eventual establishment of state police across the country.
Speaker Mudashiru Obasa presided over the plenary session where lawmakers considered the amendment. The decision by the Lagos legislature, alongside a majority of other state assemblies, fulfills a major constitutional requirement for decentralising the nation’s security architecture.
The passage of the bill represents a major step in the push to localise security responses in Nigeria. For years, state governments have argued that the current centralised policing model is inadequate for tackling the diverse security challenges facing different regions of the country.
Legislative process and security implications
The Lagos Assembly’s support for the constitutional amendment is a critical component of the legal process required to alter the nation’s supreme law. Under the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, any amendment must receive a two-thirds majority vote in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as approval from at least two-thirds of the 36 State Houses of Assembly.
With Lagos and 24 other states having cast their votes in favour, the bill now moves toward the final stage of the legislative process: presidential assent. Once the President signs the bill into law, the legal framework for creating state-level police forces will be established.
The demand for state police has intensified following persistent security issues, including banditry, kidnapping, and communal clashes, which have strained the capacity of the Nigeria Police Force. Proponents of the amendment argue that state police would allow for better intelligence gathering and quicker response times by authorities who are more familiar with local terrain and community dynamics.
Despite the progress in the state assemblies, the proposal has faced opposition from various quarters. Some critics express concerns regarding the potential for state police to be used as tools for political intimidation by state governors. These stakeholders suggest that without strict federal oversight, local police forces could become partisan instruments rather than neutral security providers.
The current development leaves the final decision in the hands of the Presidency. The National Assembly is also expected to conclude its final reviews to ensure the amendment aligns with the broader constitutional framework before the bill is sent to the President for signing.
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