Rivers lawmakers endorse constitutional route for state police
All 25 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly voted to support a proposed constitutional amendment establishing State Police Services. The Speaker, Martins Amaewhule, said the measure would allow policing at subnational level while enabling the National Assembly to set national minimum standards.
The Rivers State House of Assembly has endorsed a proposed constitutional amendment that would provide a framework for establishing State Police Services. All 25 members voted in favour of the Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, during plenary on Monday, following consultations with constituents. Speaker Martins Amaewhule commended the lawmakers for consulting their constituents before voting.
He said Nigerians had long called for a policing system at subnational level to complement the federal police. Amaewhule said the 10th Assembly supported the amendment and efforts by the Federal Government to prioritise the security of lives and property. He added that state police could work alongside the federal police to improve security.
The Speaker said the bill was designed to create a constitutional pathway for State Police Services, subject to the provisions of the Constitution. He said it would also strengthen the National Assembly’s role in prescribing national minimum policing standards. According to Amaewhule, the bill contains 26 clauses, including 25 alterations involving substitutions to provisions of the principal Act.
He listed sections including 84(4), 89(2), 121(3), 124(4), 109(2), 153(1), 157(2), 158(1) and 160. The report said Osun became the first state legislature to approve the proposed amendment. It added that the National Assembly had clarified that only the State Police Services Bill had been sent to the 36 state assemblies for consideration.
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