Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji
The Ekiti State House of Assembly has passed the bill seeking to provide for the establishment of State Police Services in Nigeria.
The bill, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, proposing constitutional framework for decentralised policing, was passed at the Assembly’s sitting on Wednesday having been supported by the 21 members present.
The Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Babatunde Oke, said in a statement made available in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday that “following the passage of the bill, the Speaker of the Assembly, Adeoye Aribasoye, had directed the Clerk of the House to transmit the document to the National Assembly, alongside the observations made by the state legislature.”
Oke stated, “The Speaker described the proposed establishment of state police as a matter that had remained at the forefront of national discourse for more than two decades.”
Aribasoye, who said that the Ekiti Assembly had a historic opportunity to make its position known on the issue, stressed the need for effective and responsive security, noting that “the challenges of policing in Nigeria require practical solutions capable of addressing the concerns of citizens.
“Nigerians have repeatedly expressed concerns over delayed responses to distress calls, limitations in operational reach and the distance between law enforcement agencies and the communities they were meant to protect.
“Inadequate and poorly coordinated local policing in some areas have contributed to insecurity, threatening livelihoods, disrupting education, undermining business confidence and eroding public trust.”
The speaker said that a properly structured State Police system could strengthen accountability by bringing policing leadership and oversight closer to the people and their elected representatives, subject to constitutional safeguards.
He stated that the country could not afford unnecessary delays in addressing security challenges, describing State Police as a long-overdue practical necessity rather than a mere theoretical preference.
Oke stated that the Committee of the Whole House, in its report on the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, “recommended that the Assembly grants concurrence to the proposed constitutional alteration, 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,” the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs Chairman stated.