The Ondo State House of Assembly has given its nod to a proposed constitutional amendment to establish state police joining the growing push for decentralised policing as Nigeria grapples with persistent security challenges.
The lawmakers approved the proposal at a plenary held on Monday in Akure after considering the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill 2026 which the National Assembly forwarded to State Assemblies.
The bill scaled the second and third readings securing the support of more than two-thirds of the lawmakers which met the required threshold for the Assembly’s concurrence.
Recall that the Assembly Speaker Rt. (Hon) Olamide Oladiji had on September 24 read a letter conveying the proposal to the House from the Clerk to the National Assembly Kamoru Ogunlana.
Before the approval the Committee of the Whole House examined the bill clause by clause and recommended that the Assembly endorse it subject to an amendment to Section 317A(5).
Speaking Oladiji said the decision reflected the need to explore new approaches to tackling insecurity.
He notes that the establishment of state police had featured prominently in Nigeria’s national discourse for over two decades.
He said the proposed reform would strengthen security and governance by providing a policing structure better positioned to respond to threats within local communities.
‘Following the extensive deliberations and thorough scrutiny of this bill by this Honourable House it is clear that this is the least we can do to strengthen security and governance in our dear state’ he said.
Oladiji directed the Clerk of the Assembly to forward the bill to the National Assembly with the state legislature’s observations and recommendations.
The Speaker described state police as a practical response to the country’s security needs warning that further delays in addressing insecurity could not be justified.
In its consideration of the proposal the Committee of the Whole House identified improved intelligence gathering quicker response to emergencies and more effective crime prevention among the expected benefits of decentralised policing.
The lawmakers argued that officers operating within states would be better placed to understand local security threats and respond to the peculiar needs of their communities.
They also noted that state police could complement the Federal Police Service by handling local security concerns while the federal force concentrates on interstate crimes and other complex security operations.
According to the lawmakers the proposed structure could also strengthen security in rural communities protect farmers against kidnapping and attacks and improve safety along highways.
They said improved security in farming areas would help safeguard agricultural activities and support food production.
The approval forms part of the constitutional amendment process required to pave the way for the establishment of state police.
President Bola Tinubu had on July 7 2026 inaugurated the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill to develop the legal framework for the proposed reform.
The National Assembly’s Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill 2026 seeks to introduce a two-tier policing arrangement comprising a Federal Police Service and 36 State Police Services.