Ekiti Assembly passes State Police Bill

By Rotimi Ojomoyela

The Ekiti State House of Assembly has passed the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, seeking to provide for the establishment of State Police Services in Nigeria.

The bill scaled second and third readings during plenary on Tuesday, with all 21 members present voting in support, signalling the Assembly’s endorsement of decentralised policing.

Following its passage, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Adeoye Stephen Aribasoye, directed the Clerk of the House to transmit the document to the National Assembly alongside observations made by the state legislature.

Speaking on the bill, Aribasoye said state police had remained at the forefront of national discourse for over two decades, noting that the Ekiti Assembly had a historic opportunity to take a position.

He stressed the need for effective and responsive security, saying Nigeria’s policing challenges required practical solutions.

“Nigerians had 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,” he said.

The Speaker added that inadequate and poorly coordinated local policing in some areas had contributed to insecurity, threatening livelihoods, disrupting education, undermining business confidence and eroding public trust.

He said 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.

According to him, 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.”

In its report, the Committee of the Whole House recommended concurrence to the bill, subject to an amendment to Section 317A(5).

The committee said it considered the bill clause by clause and deliberated on the proposed constitutional framework for the establishment and operation of State Police Services.

It proposed the insertion of the words “an Act of the National Assembly or a Law of the State House of Assembly, as applicable” after the words “this Constitution” in the newly inserted Section 317A(5).

The observation, the committee noted, is intended to expressly recognise the legislative authority of the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly, within their respective constitutional jurisdictions, in authorising relevant security arrangements.

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