As President Bola Tinubu’s administration races to set up state police across Nigeria, 11 state assemblies have yet to sign off on it. Their pending signatures, however, will not delay the establishment of a state police in the country.

On September 16, 2026, the clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, transmitted the proposed Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, to the 36 state assemblies for their assent.

However, 11 state assemblies have yet to approve the proposed police reform. The states are Lagos, Kano, Ebonyi, Kogi, Niger, Borno, Gombe, Bauchi, Jigawa, Katsina and Sokoto. 

On Friday, the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, chaired by Femi Gbajabiamila, the chief of staff to the president, said 24 of the 36 assemblies approved the Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026. 

“In line with Section 9 of the Constitution, the amendment can now be returned to the National Assembly for transmission to Mr President for assent,” the Gbajabiamila-led group said, adding that the approval from 24 states provides the requisite constitutional backing for the reform.

Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution states that a constitutional alteration requires approval of at least two-thirds of the assemblies, which translates to 24 of the 36 states.

The assemblies that have already subscribed to the state police bill are Adamawa, Delta, Edo, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Taraba, Zamfara, Enugu, Anambra, Imo, Ekiti, Kebbi, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Abia, Yobe and Kaduna.

Ondo became the 25th state on Monday.

After two-thirds of assemblies approved it, the Senate promised on Tuesday that the state police bill would be enacted before the end of this year.