By Hadiza Mohammed, Northern Operations
The Nasarawa State House of Assembly has approved the proposed establishment of state police, bringing to six the number of state legislatures that have endorsed the constitutional amendment seeking to introduce state policing in Nigeria.
The approval was granted on Tuesday during plenary in Lafia, presided over by the Speaker, Dr Danladi Jatau.
During the session, Jatau read the 26 clauses of the Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, transmitted by the National Assembly, before putting each clause to a voice vote.
The lawmakers unanimously supported all the clauses, prompting the Speaker to declare that the ayes had it.
The proposed constitutional amendment seeks to modify several provisions of the 1999 Constitution, including Sections 84, 89, 121, 124, 129, 153, 157, 158, 160, 197, 201, 202 and 204.
It also proposes the substitution of Sections 214, 215 and 216, the insertion of a new Section 317A, amendments to Section 318, and changes to the Second and Third Schedules to provide for federal and state police service commissions.
Other proposed changes affect the Fifth Schedule and the citation of the Constitution.
Speaking after the vote, Jatau commended the lawmakers for their unanimous support and directed the Clerk of the House to transmit the Assembly’s resolution to the National Assembly.
He noted that the approval would contribute to the number of state legislatures required to endorse the bill before the constitutional amendment could proceed to the next stage.
The National Assembly transmitted the proposed amendment to all 36 state Houses of Assembly on September 16, 2026, seeking their concurrence on the establishment of state police alongside the federal police.
The Nasarawa Assembly received the bill from the Clerk of the National Assembly on September 18, with consideration scheduled to commence following the lawmakers’ resumption on September 28.
Under Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution, a constitutional amendment requires the approval of at least two-thirds of the state Houses of Assembly, representing 24 out of the 36 states.
With Nasarawa’s endorsement, six state assemblies have now approved the proposed amendment. The other states are Edo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers and Zamfara.
A further 18 state assemblies must endorse the bill for it to meet the constitutional threshold required for the proposed amendment.
