Osun State House of Assembly has thrown its weight behind the proposed establishment of State Police, approving the constitutional amendment bill transmitted to state legislatures for consideration.
The resolution was reached on Tuesday during plenary following a motion moved by the Majority Leader, Hon. Kofoworola Babajide Adewunmi, and seconded by Hon. Tajudeen Adeyemi.
The lawmakers subsequently considered and approved the proposal seeking to amend the 1999 Constitution to provide for the establishment of State Police Services across the country.
The development forms part of the ongoing constitutional alteration process initiated at the national level to decentralise policing and create a dual policing structure comprising Federal and State Police Services.
The National Assembly transmitted the constitutional amendment bill to the 36 state Houses of Assembly for consideration.
Speaking after the approval, the Speaker of the Osun Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adewale Egbedun, directed that the resolution of the House be communicated to the National Assembly as required under the constitutional amendment process.
The approval by Osun is, however, only one stage in the process, as the proposed amendment requires the endorsement of at least two-thirds of the 36 state Houses of Assembly, representing a minimum of 24 states, before it can proceed to the next stage.
The proposal is aimed at establishing a constitutional framework under which states would have their own police services operating alongside the Federal Police, with provisions covering command, oversight, and operational safeguards.