The state police bill has met the constitutional requirements with approvals by 24 State Houses of Assembly.

The approvals have paved the way for the constitutional amendment, meeting the two-thirds threshold required for constitutional change and bringing the country closer to a dual policing system. 

This development clears a major constitutional hurdle in the Federal Government’s efforts to decentralise policing and establish state-controlled police formations alongside the existing federal police structure.

The Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill announced the development on Friday, describing the approval as a significant milestone in reforming Nigeria’s policing architecture.

In a statement signed by its Chairman and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, the group said the Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, had received the endorsement of 24 of the country’s 36 State Houses of Assembly, meeting the constitutional requirement for passage.

The group commended the state legislatures for supporting the reform, while also acknowledging the National Assembly for securing the passage of the amendment in both the Senate and House of Representatives.

According to the statement, the successful ratification by the required number of state assemblies means the constitutional amendment can now be returned to the National Assembly for onward transmission to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for assent.

“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 statement said.

The working group explained that, once the constitutional process is complete, the amendment would provide the legal foundation for the dual policing arrangement envisaged under the proposed National Policing Bill, 2026.

It noted that the constitutional breakthrough would strengthen efforts to establish a policing framework under which federal and state police institutions would operate within clearly defined constitutional and legal boundaries.

The group also said work on the accompanying legislation was progressing on schedule, with the draft National Policing Bill and related legislative proposals currently undergoing review and validation at the Federal Ministry of Justice.

It said the Ministry was expected to conclude the exercise and return the draft bills to the working group on or before Friday, October 30, 2026.

Following the review, the group would give the proposed legislation final consideration before formally presenting the package to President Tinubu for further action.

“The Working Group’s efforts remain on track. The Federal Ministry of Justice is currently reviewing and validating the draft Bills and is expected to return them on or before Friday, 30th October 2026.

“Thereafter, the Group will give them final consideration before presenting them to Mr President”, the statement added.

The group called on  political leaders, security institutions, and other stakeholders to support the implementation process, stressing the importance of an orderly transition to a policing arrangement that can address the country’s security challenges more effectively.

“The Working Group urges all stakeholders to support a smooth transition to a dual policing system that makes Nigerians safer”, it stated.

The development marks a major step in President Tinubu’s push to establish state police as part of broader measures to strengthen internal security, improve local intelligence gathering, and bring law enforcement closer to communities.

The Presidential Working Group, chaired by Gbajabiamila, was constituted to develop the legislative framework for the proposed reform, including the National Policing Bill and consequential amendments required to accommodate the new policing structure.

The group had earlier submitted the draft National Policing Bill and 29 consequential bills to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, for legal review and validation.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says its operatives have uncovered a facility used to store and distribute alcoholic drinks suspected to be intended for counterfeit production in the Agbado area of Lagos State.

Kunle Ojo, assistant director in the agency’s investigation and enforcement directorate, disclosed this in a video recorded during an enforcement operation at 322B Meiran Road, Agbado.

Ojo said the operation followed credible intelligence about suspected illicit activities at the location, which he described as a secluded residential area.

He said officials found different brands and sizes of alcoholic beverages, including products bearing the names of Royal Circle premium whisky, Action Bitters and Smirnoff, among others.

According to him, the products were allegedly being supplied to suspected counterfeiters for use in further production.
 

“We have credible intelligence that in this particular area, a very secluded area, where a lot of nefarious activities is taking place here. And that is why we are here this afternoon,” Ojo said, adding that the discovery of the products in a residential neighbourhood raised concerns about the activities taking place at the facility.

“And like I said at the other side, this is residential area. And this is not acceptable to government, and we are here to safeguard the health of the nation,” he said.

The NAFDAC official urged Nigerians to report suspected cases of counterfeit products and other illicit activities to the agency’s offices.

“We are calling on all men and all women in Nigeria, please, when you see something taking place at your area, kindly notify the nearest NAFDAC office so that we can stop this menace, so that we can save our country from all these counterfeiters,” Ojo said.

1. President Bola Tinubu and leaders of the All Progressives Congress will on Saturday kick off the President’s re-election campaign in Kaduna State, as the ruling party intensifies efforts to secure support across the North, which accounts for 56.01 million of Nigeria’s 103.43 million registered voters.

With 31 state governors and other party chieftains expected at the campaign flag-off, the APC is banking on what its leaders describe as a growing consensus among northern stakeholders and voters to secure Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

2.  A Department of State Services, DSS, operative yesterday told an Imo State High Court how 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, members were abducted at gunpoint while travelling to orientation camps, as hearing began in the case against three alleged kidnappers.

3. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, including the devaluation of the naira, worsened poverty in Nigeria. He spoke on Wednesday at the Financial Times Africa summit 2026 in London, United Kingdom, UK. According to him, the sharp decline in the naira’s value had impoverished Nigerians and contributed to the country’s position as the world’s poverty capital.

4. The Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board, CDCFIB, has asked candidates who reached the oral interview stage of its ongoing recruitment exercise to check the portal on October 28 to know their status. It said the portal will remain open until November 13.

5. The Federal Government has directed hospitals nationwide to prepare isolation beds and strengthen infection prevention measures as part of efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak, warning that 15 states are yet to update their response plans.

6. Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has demanded the immediate publication of the preliminary voters’ register, warning that the failure of the Independent National Electoral Commission to display the list online could undermine confidence in the 2027 general election. Atiku, in a statement on Thursday, said Nigerians were entitled to inspect the register, challenge questionable entries and correct omissions before the election.

7. The International Criminal Police Organisation has arrested two suspects in Nigeria in separate investigations into cybercrime, including an international investment fraud scheme linked to more than $2.4m in suspected criminal proceeds. The arrests were disclosed in a statement on Operation Serengeti III, a cybercrime enforcement operation.

8. The Edo State Government has demolished buildings allegedly used for ritual activities and cult-related crimes following the arrest of two suspects in the state’s renewed crackdown on criminality. The government demolished a bungalow and four boys’ quarters at Uwalor-Oke in Uromi, allegedly used by a suspected ritualist, Ebhata Eromosele. Another building linked to cult-related activities in the Ewatto was also pulled down.

9. A collaborative, multi-pronged plan to ease the cost of living for Nigerians was unveiled yesterday after the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting. The Federal and state governments will work jointly to achieve the objectives of the plan, which is designed for implementation over 90 days. NEC, the highest economic policy coordination body of the government, is chaired by the Vice President and comprises members of the Federal Government’s economic team and state governors.

10. Three more states – Kaduna, Bayelsa, and Benue – have approved the proposed sixth alteration to the 1999 Constitution to provide for the establishment of State Police Services and Other Related Matters. The development brought the number of Houses of Assembly that have endorsed the State Police Bill to about 20. The Kaduna State House of Assembly unanimously endorsed proposed amendments to 15 sections of the 1999 Constitution to pave the way for the establishment of state police.