The Delta State House of Assembly has endorsed the proposed constitutional amendment to establish state police in Nigeria, adding its voice to the ongoing national push for a decentralised policing system.
All 23 lawmakers present at Tuesday’s plenary voted in favour of the proposed Sixth Alteration to the 1999 Constitution, with none opposing the measure or abstaining.
The sitting was presided over by the Speaker, Emomotimi Guwor, while the House Leader led the debate on the proposed amendment.
Following the vote, Guwor commended members for supporting the initiative, saying the proposed reform could strengthen security operations and improve responses to threats within local communities.
“For Delta State, this reform holds great promise for protecting lives and property, sustaining peace and creating a safer environment for investment and development,” the Speaker said.
He added that the proposal aligned with the MORE Agenda of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s administration.
The Speaker subsequently directed the Clerk of the Assembly to communicate the House’s decision to the National Assembly for further action.
The approval forms part of the constitutional amendment process required to establish state police. However, Delta’s endorsement alone does not bring the proposed system into operation
Under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, a constitutional alteration requires approval by at least two-thirds of the State Houses of Assembly, representing 24 of Nigeria’s 36 states.
The proposed state police amendment was transmitted to the state legislatures on September 16, 2026, for consideration and approval.
Reports published on October 16 indicated that five state assemblies — Edo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers and Zamfara — had approved the amendment before Delta’s latest decision.
Delta’s endorsement would raise the number of approving assemblies to six, if the earlier tally remains unchanged.
The development represents another step in the process, although substantially more state legislatures must approve the proposal before the constitutional requirement is met.
The state-level approvals are unfolding alongside the Federal Government’s efforts to finalise a proposed National Policing Bill intended to provide a framework for the country’s policing reforms.
On October 15, the Chief of Staff to the President and chairman of the Presidential Working Group on policing reform, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the bill was about 90 per cent ready for transmission to the National Assembly.
Gbajabiamila disclosed this after a steering committee meeting at the State House in Abuja, explaining that further consultations were required to address outstanding issues, including observations from state governors.
“The National Policing Bill is more or less ready for transmission to the National Assembly. We will probably have one more meeting after this to cross the t’s and dot the i’s and make sure every area is covered. So, we are 90% ready,” he said.
He added that the governors had raised a few observations and expressed optimism that the committee would conclude its work shortly.
Gbajabiamila described the proposed legislation as “the most consequential Bill of the administration so far”, noting that the working group’s deliberations began on August 3.
He also expressed confidence that state legislatures would support the constitutional amendment, arguing that there was broad national agreement on the need to reform the policing structure.
The proposed constitutional amendment and the National Policing Bill are related but distinct parts of the reform process: the constitutional change is required to establish state police, while the proposed legislation is expected to provide an operational framework for the new policing arrangement.
Advocates of state policing have argued that allowing states to establish their own police services could improve local intelligence gathering, shorten response times and enable security agencies to address threats with greater knowledge of local communities.
However, the proposal has also generated concerns about possible political interference, human rights protection, accountability, funding and the independence of state police commands.
The effectiveness of any new arrangement would therefore depend not only on the constitutional amendment but also on clear rules governing recruitment, training, operational standards, oversight and the relationship between federal and state police services.
For Delta State, the Assembly’s approval signals support for the proposed restructuring of Nigeria’s policing system. The initiative must still pass through the remaining constitutional and legislative stages before state police can be established under the proposed framework.
