The Rivers State House of Assembly has endorsed the constitutional amendment bill seeking to provide a legal framework for the establishment of State Police Services across Nigeria.
All 25 members of the Assembly voted in favour of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, during plenary on Monday.
The bill was transmitted to the 36 state Houses of Assembly by the National Assembly as part of the constitutional amendment process.
The Rivers lawmakers considered the proposal after consultations with their constituents, with Speaker Martins Amaewhule commending members for seeking the views of the people before taking a position.
Amaewhule said Nigerians had for years called for a policing system at the subnational level that would complement the existing federal police structure.
He said the Assembly’s decision reflected its support for the proposed amendment to the 1999 Constitution.
The proposed constitutional framework is designed to allow the establishment and operation of State Police Services while retaining the Federal Police as part of Nigeria’s security architecture.
Under the proposed framework, State Police would require enabling legislation by individual state Houses of Assembly and would have to meet national minimum standards prescribed by the National Assembly.
The Federal Police would continue to perform policing functions in states until a State Police Service becomes operational, while the proposed amendment also sets out circumstances under which federal authorities could intervene in state policing matters.
The Rivers Assembly’s decision comes as state legislatures consider the State Police Bill following its transmission by the National Assembly.
The National Assembly had earlier clarified that the State Police amendment was the only constitutional alteration bill so far transmitted to the 36 state Houses of Assembly, with the move linked to growing concerns over security and policing in the country.
