STATE POLICE WILL BRING SECURITY CLOSER TO THE PEOPLE — RIVERS MAJORITY LEADER MAJOR JACK HAILS ASSEMBLY’S APPROVAL OF SIXTH ALTERATION BILL
By Sawo Jack
The Majority Leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Alabo Major Jack, DSSRS, has described the approval of the Sixth Alteration Bill, 2026 by the House as a bold and patriotic step towards addressing Nigeria’s security challenges.
Alabo Jack, who represents Akuku-Toru Constituency I, stated this shortly after attending the 54th Legislative Sitting of the House held on Monday, September 28, 2026, where lawmakers unanimously voted in favour of the bill.
“For too long, our people have yearned for a policing system that is closer to the grassroots and responsive to our local realities. By approving this Sixth Alteration Bill, the Rivers State House of Assembly has shown that we are ready to take responsibility for the safety of our people while still maintaining constitutional safeguards, discipline and respect for human rights. State Police is not about rivalry; it is about complementing the federal structure to better secure lives and property,” Jack stated.
The bill, transmitted by the Clerk of the National Assembly and read by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule, seeks to amend the 1999 Constitution in line with Section 9, to create a constitutional route for the establishment of State Police Services subject to the Constitution and an Act of the National Assembly prescribing national minimum policing standards.
According to the document, the bill also seeks to preserve the Federal Police Service as the default police service in any State until a State Police Service Commission is lawfully established and certified operational, while leaving detailed organization, procedures, operational control, certification and implementation arrangements to subsequent Acts of the National Assembly and, where applicable, to laws of State Houses of Assembly.
Commenting before putting the question, Speaker Amaewhule emphasized the need for a State policing system that guarantees constitutional guardrails for civilian control, protection of human rights, criminal information systems and checks against egregious abuse.
When the question was put, all members present, including the Majority Leader, voted unanimously in the affirmative, approving the bill in its entirety.
With this approval, the Rivers State House of Assembly has now joined other State Houses of Assembly in the country that have given legislative imprimatur to the 1999 Constitution Sixth Alteration Bill, 2026.
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