By Elizabeth Oyeniwa
The Ondo State House of Assembly has approved the bill for the establishment of State Police, endorsing the proposed constitutional amendment to decentralise policing in Nigeria.
The approval followed the transmission of the Constitution Alteration Bill to the Assembly for consideration. The bill seeks to alter the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to provide for the establishment of State Police Services and other related matters.
The letter transmitting the bill from the Clerk to the National Assembly, Mr. Kamoru Ogunlana, was read on the floor of the House by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji, on September 24.
The bill scaled second and third readings at plenary presided over by the Speaker on Monday and was passed by more than the required two-thirds majority.
Presenting its report, the Committee of the Whole House said it had examined the bill clause-by-clause and recommended that the Assembly grant concurrence, subject to an amendment to Section 317A(5).
In his remarks, Speaker Oladiji described state police as an issue that has dominated national discourse for over two decades. He said the Assembly’s approval was the least it could do to strengthen security and governance.
”Following extensive deliberations and thorough scrutiny of this bill, it is clear that this is the least we can do to strengthen security and governance in our dear state,” Oladiji said.
“We cannot afford unnecessary delays in addressing our security challenges. State police is a long-overdue practical necessity, not a theoretical preference.”
He said the House had considered and agreed to all provisions of the bill and expressed optimism that the reform would improve the protection of lives and property.
The Committee highlighted the potential benefits of state police to include better understanding of grassroots security challenges, faster response to emergencies, improved intelligence gathering and effective crime prevention.
It also noted that state police would complement the Federal Police by handling local security issues, allowing the federal force to concentrate on interstate and complex crimes.
On agricultural security, the committee observed that state police would help protect farmers from kidnapping and attacks, improve safety in farming communities, boost food production, and strengthen security along highways.
The Speaker has directed the Clerk of the Assembly to transmit the resolution, along with the observations and recommendations of the House, to the National Assembly in line with constitutional provisions.
The approval comes as the Federal Government moves to provide a legal framework for decentralised policing.
President Bola Tinubu on July 7, 2026, inaugurated the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill to prepare for the implementation of state police nationwide, following the National Assembly’s passage of the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026.
The bill proposes a dual policing structure comprising a Federal Police Service and 36 State Police Services to bring policing closer to the people.
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