Posted by Chinenye on Thu 22nd Oct, 2026 - tori.ng
Bayelsa lawmakers have supported a plan that could change how policing works in Nigeria.
(Bayelsa Assembly. Photo by Ripples Nigeria)
The Bayelsa State House of Assembly has approved the proposed sixth alteration to the 1999 Constitution, which would allow state police services to be set up.
The change came to the Assembly after the National Assembly sent the bill to all 36 state Houses of Assembly for approval.
Speaker Abraham Ingobere, represented by Deputy Speaker Michael Ogbere, praised the lawmakers for approving the proposal quickly.
He called it another important step for the Seventh Assembly.
The change still needs to go through the rest of the constitutional amendment process before state police can actually be set up.
In the same sitting, the Assembly took the first reading of two bills.
One is the Ijaw Cultural Heritage Bill, which aims to protect and promote Ijaw culture.
The other is the Retirement Age for Magistrates and Chairmen of Customary Courts Bill, 2026.
Both will go through more committee work before the House decides whether to pass them.