The push to establish state police in Nigeria has gained momentum, with 32 of the country’s 36 state Houses of Assembly reportedly approving the constitutional amendment bill seeking to allow states to establish their own police forces.

The development was reported on Wednesday as additional state legislatures transmitted their approvals to the National Assembly, bringing the number of supporting states to 32 and leaving four yet to complete the process.

According to the report, Katsina, Bauchi, Borno and Niger states are the remaining states whose approvals are being awaited.

The proposed amendment seeks to alter the 1999 Constitution to provide a legal framework for the creation of state police, a long-debated proposal aimed at changing Nigeria’s current policing structure.

Under Section 9 of the Constitution, an alteration requires approval by at least two-thirds of the state Houses of Assembly, alongside the necessary support in the National Assembly. With 32 states reportedly backing the proposal, the bill has exceeded the state-assembly threshold of 24.

However, approval by the state legislatures does not, by itself, mean that state police have been established. The constitutional amendment must still complete all applicable legislative requirements before it can become law.

Supporters of state police have argued that decentralising policing could improve local intelligence gathering and enable security agencies to respond more effectively to threats within individual states. Critics have raised concerns about the possible political misuse of state-controlled security forces, funding and accountability.

The debate has continued against the backdrop of security challenges across several parts of Nigeria, including kidnapping, banditry, communal violence and other forms of criminal activity.

The 32 states reported to have approved the bill are:

Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.

The four states whose approvals are reportedly outstanding are:

Katsina, Bauchi, Borno and Niger.

The next stage will depend on the completion of the constitutional amendment process and the required legislative approvals. Until those requirements are met, the existing constitutional framework for policing remains in force.