Pix: Gov. Adeleke of Osun State

By Samuel Ike, Abuja

The Osun State House of Assembly on Tuesday became the first state legislature in Nigeria to approve the proposed constitutional amendment seeking the establishment of state police, following the transmission of the bill by the National Assembly.

The approval came as the National Assembly clarified that only the State Police Services Bill had been forwarded to the 36 state Houses of Assembly, dismissing reports suggesting that the entire package of proposed constitutional amendments had already been transmitted for consideration.

In a statement issued by the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, the legislature explained that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, which seeks to provide for the establishment of state police services and related matters, remains the only constitutional amendment bill currently before state assemblies.

Ogunlana stated that it was incorrect to suggest that all pending constitutional alteration bills had been transmitted to the states. According to him, the State Police Bill was given priority in response to growing public concerns over insecurity and increasing calls for the decentralisation of policing across the country.

He further explained that other constitutional amendment bills would be forwarded to state legislatures only after they had been passed in identical form by both the Senate and the House of Representatives, in line with constitutional requirements.

At the Osun State House of Assembly plenary, Speaker Adewale Egbedun read the communication from the National Assembly requesting state legislatures to deliberate on and approve the proposed amendment as part of the constitutional review process. Following extensive debate, lawmakers unanimously endorsed the bill.

Members of the Assembly who spoke in support of the proposal described the creation of state police as a timely response to Nigeria’s security challenges. They argued that a decentralised policing system would strengthen security operations at the grassroots level and improve the capacity of state governments to respond swiftly to emerging threats.

The lawmakers maintained that state police would complement existing security structures, enhance community based policing and provide more effective protection for lives and property within the states.

The motion supporting the constitutional amendment was moved by the Majority Leader, Babajide Kofoworola, and seconded by Tajudeen Adeyemi before receiving unanimous approval from the House.

Meanwhile, the Assembly also dissolved into the Committee of the Whole to continue deliberations on the Osun State Park Management System Bill, 2026. The committee reviewed proposed amendments and corrections to the bill and adopted them as part of the legislative process.