The Ekiti State House of Assembly has endorsed a proposed constitutional amendment to pave the way for the establishment of state police services, adding its voice to the national debate over decentralising policing in Nigeria.
The lawmakers approved the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, during Wednesday’s plenary on October 21, with all 21 members present voting in support.
Following the passage, the Speaker, Adeoye Aribasoye, directed the Clerk of the Assembly to forward the bill to the National Assembly, alongside the state legislature’s observations.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Babatunde Oke, announced the development in a statement issued in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday.
According to Oke, Aribasoye described state police as a longstanding national issue that has featured prominently in public discussions for more than two decades.
The Speaker said Nigeria’s security challenges required practical responses, particularly amid persistent complaints about delayed reactions to distress calls, limited operational capacity and inadequate engagement between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve.
He noted that insecurity had continued to affect residents’ livelihoods, disrupt education, weaken business confidence and undermine public trust in security institutions.
Aribasoye argued that establishing state police under a clear constitutional framework could improve accountability by bringing policing decisions and oversight closer to local communities and their elected representatives.
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However, he stressed the importance of appropriate constitutional safeguards to ensure the system operates effectively.
He also maintained that the country could not afford further unnecessary delays in addressing its security challenges, describing decentralised policing as a practical requirement rather than merely a theoretical proposal.
Oke said the Committee of the Whole House had examined the proposed amendment in detail, reviewing its provisions clause by clause before recommending that the Assembly approve it.
The committee’s report recommended concurrence with the bill, subject to an amendment to Section 317A(5).
“The committee reported that it had considered the bill clause by clause and deliberated on the proposed constitutional framework for the establishment and operation of State Police Services.
“The committee subsequently recommended that the House grant its concurrence to the bill,” Oke stated.
The Ekiti Assembly’s decision represents the state legislature’s contribution to the constitutional amendment process aimed at creating a legal basis for state police services.
The bill has been transmitted to the National Assembly for further consideration, alongside the observations made by the Ekiti lawmakers.
The proposed reform forms part of the wider national debate over whether state-controlled police structures could improve security responses while maintaining accountability and preventing abuse of power.