24 States Approve Bill for Dual Policing System – Working Group

The Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill says 24 State Houses of Assembly have approved the Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, paving the way for the proposed dual policing system.

The approval meets the constitutional requirement of support from at least two-thirds of Nigeria’s 36 states for the amendment to proceed.

Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President and Chairman of the Working Group, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja.

He commended the State Houses of Assembly for approving the amendment and acknowledged the National Assembly for passing the bill through both chambers.

Gbajabiamila said the amendment could now be returned to the National Assembly for transmission to President Bola Tinubu for assent, in line with Section 9 of the Constitution.

According to him, the approval provides constitutional backing for the policing framework proposed in the Working Group’s draft National Policing Bill, 2026.

He explained that the draft bills were undergoing legislative drafting, review and validation at the Federal Ministry of Justice.

The bills are expected to be returned to the Working Group on or before Oct. 30 for final consideration before presentation to the President.

The Working Group called on stakeholders to support a smooth transition to the proposed dual policing system, which it said was aimed at improving public safety.