The Rivers State House of Assembly has endorsed the Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, which seeks to establish a constitutional framework for State Police Services.
All 25 members of the Assembly voted in favour of the bill during plenary on Monday, following consultations with their constituents.
The Speaker, Martins Amaewhule, commended the lawmakers for consulting their constituents before supporting the proposed amendment.
He said Nigerians had long called for a policing system at the subnational level to complement the Federal Police.
“By this voting, the 10th Assembly is fully in support of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill 2026,” Amaewhule said.
He added that state-level policing would help strengthen security and complement the work of the Federal Police.
“For us, having police at the subnational level helping the federal police is indeed a welcomed development,” he said.
Amaewhule said the Assembly would work with other state legislatures towards a more effective security system.
He explained that the bill would provide a constitutional pathway for State Police Services, while the National Assembly would retain a role in prescribing national minimum policing standards.
The bill contains 26 clauses, including proposed alterations to several sections of the 1999 Constitution.
The National Assembly transmitted the State Police constitutional amendment bill to all 36 state Houses of Assembly on September 16 for consideration. It has clarified that the State Police Bill is the only constitutional alteration proposal so far transmitted to the state legislatures.
Rivers is the latest state Assembly to endorse the proposal after the Osun State House of Assembly became the first to approve the amendment on September 22.
For the constitutional amendment to proceed, it requires approval from at least two-thirds of the 36 state Houses of Assembly.
The bill seeks to amend the Constitution to provide a legal framework for the creation of state police across the country.
