The Ekiti State House of Assembly has passed the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, to establish state police services in Nigeria.

Its speaker, Adeoye Aribasoye, disclosed this on Wednesday during plenary in Ado-Ekiti.

Mr Aribasoye said the well-debated bill passed its second and third readings, with all 21 members present supporting its passage, signalling the Assembly’s endorsement of the proposed constitutional framework for decentralised policing.

He directed the clerk to transmit the document to the National Assembly, along with the state legislature’s observations.

Mr Aribasoye, while speaking on the bill, described the proposed establishment of state police as a matter that had remained at the forefront of national discourse for more than two decades. According to him, the assembly has a historic opportunity to make its position known on the issue by passing it.

The speaker stressed the need for effective, responsive security, noting that policing challenges in Nigeria require practical solutions that address citizens’ concerns.

He observed that Nigerians had repeatedly raised concerns about delayed responses to distress calls, limited operational reach, and the distance between law enforcement agencies and the communities they were meant to protect.

According to him, inadequate and poorly coordinated local policing in some areas has contributed to insecurity, threatening livelihoods, disrupting education, undermining business confidence and eroding public trust.

Mr Aribasoye 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 said 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.

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 grant 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 establishing and operating state police services. It proposed inserting 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 committee said the observation was intended to expressly recognise the legislative authority of the National Assembly and state assemblies, within their respective constitutional jurisdictions, in authorising relevant security arrangements.

The committee then recommended that the assembly grant its concurrence to the bill, subject to the observations, and directed the clerk to transmit them to the National Assembly.

(NAN)