……..endorse constitutional amendment, cite crime prevention, farmers’ protection
By Tolulope Eniola
The Ondo State House of Assembly has approved the proposed constitutional amendment to provide for the establishment of State Police Services and related matters, endorsing the decentralisation of policing as part of efforts to strengthen security across the country.
The approval followed the transmission of the bill for an act to alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), to provide for the establishment of State Police Services, to the Assembly for consideration and approval.
The proposal was conveyed to the Ondo State House of Assembly in a letter from the Clerk to the National Assembly, Mr Kamoru Ogunlana, which was read on the floor of the House by the Speaker, Rt Hon Olamide Oladiji, on 24 September.
The bill scaled the second and third readings during plenary presided over by Oladiji on Monday.The lawmakers supported its passage by more than the required two-thirds majority, signalling the Assembly’s endorsement of the proposed reform of Nigeria’s policing system.
Following the deliberations, the Committee of the Whole House recommended that the Assembly grant concurrence to the proposed constitutional alteration, subject to an amendment to Section 317A(5). The committee said it had examined the bill clause by clause and considered the proposed constitutional framework for the establishment and operation of State Police Services.
In his remarks, Oladiji described the proposed establishment of state police as an issue that had remained at the forefront of national discourse for more than two decades, adding that the Assembly had an opportunity to make its position known on the matter.
He said the state legislature considered the proposal a necessary step towards strengthening security and governance, stressing that Nigeria’s policing challenges required practical solutions capable of addressing the concerns of citizens.
“Following the extensive deliberations and thorough scrutiny of this bill by this Honourable House, it is clear that this is the least we can do to strengthen security and governance in our dear state,” the Speaker said.
He added that the Assembly had considered and agreed to the provisions of the bill as presented, expressing the hope that the proposed reform would improve the protection of lives and property.
Oladiji maintained that the country could not afford unnecessary delays in addressing its security challenges, describing state police as a long-overdue practical necessity rather than a mere theoretical preference.
During the consideration of the bill, the Committee of the whole house highlighted several potential benefits of state police, including a better understanding of grassroots security challenges, faster responses to emergencies, improved intelligence gathering and more effective crime prevention.
The committee also noted that state police could complement the Federal Police Service by handling local security concerns, thereby allowing the federal institution to concentrate more on interstate crimes and other complex security matters.
On agricultural and road security, the committee observed that state police could help protect farmers against kidnapping and attacks, improve safety in farming communities and support food production. It also highlighted the need to strengthen security along highways.
The Speaker subsequently directed the Clerk of the Assembly to transmit the bill to the National Assembly alongside the observations and recommendations made by the state legislature, in accordance with the constitutional amendment process.
The development comes amid ongoing efforts to establish a legal framework for decentralised policing in Nigeria.
President Bola Tinubu, on 7 July 2026, inaugurated the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill to prepare the legal framework for the implementation of State Police across the country.
The initiative followed the National Assembly’s passage of the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026, which proposes a dual policing structure comprising a Federal Police Service and 36 State Police Services.
The proposed reform is aimed at bringing policing closer to communities and improving the country’s capacity to tackle insecurity.
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