POLITICS
Osun, Edo, Oyo, Rivers Greenlight State Police Bill
Osun, Edo, Oyo, Rivers Greenlight State Police Bill
October 4, () – The Houses of Assembly in Osun, Edo, Oyo and Rivers have endorsed the proposed constitutional amendment seeking to establish state police across Nigeria, a major policing reform currently before state legislatures.
The resolution followed the National Assembly’s transmission of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, to the 36 State Houses of Assembly for consideration and approval.
The bill seeks to amend the 1999 Constitution to create a legal and institutional framework for the establishment and operation of state police, potentially altering Nigeria’s existing system. The Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, formally transmitted the bill to the state legislatures on September 16, 2026.
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The process is being conducted pursuant to Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, which prescribes the procedure for altering the Constitution. Under the provision, a constitutional amendment passed by the National Assembly requires the approval, by resolution, of not less than two-thirds of all the state Houses of Assembly before it can proceed to the President for assent.
With 36 state legislatures in the country, the required threshold is 24 Houses of Assembly. However, its leadership has adopted a 30-day administrative timeframe to encourage the Houses of Assembly to consider the proposal and communicate their positions within an orderly period. First to kick-start the process is Osun State, followed by Edo, Rivers and Oyo.
During deliberations at the plenary session on September 22, 2026, the majority leader of the Osun House, Babajide Kofoworola, moved the motion for approval, which was seconded by Mr Tajudeen Adeyemi, representing Ifelodun Constituency. They said the measure would strengthen the security arrangements in the state.
Thereafter, upon adoption of the resolution, the Speaker of the House, Rt Hon Egbedu, directed that the approved amendments and resolutions of the Osun State House of Assembly be forwarded to the National Assembly for further consideration. During the plenary session, the Assembly also dissolved into a committee of the whole to consider further the Osun State Park Management System Bill 2026.
Agreement was reached by the lawmakers for the incorporation of the approved changes into the bill after the reviewed corrections and amendments. In its response, the Edo State House of Assembly unanimously approved the constitutional amendment bill.
Leading debate on the bill, the Majority Leader, Hon Osezua Sunday Ojezelle, highlighted its significance and urged lawmakers to support its passage.
The member representing Akoko-Edo Constituency II, Donald Okogbe, said the proposed State Police could create employment opportunities. Charity Aiguobaehian, representing Ovia North-East Constituency I, said the initiative could strengthen security at community level.
Richard Edosa, representing Oredo Constituency I, advocated the establishment of an Edo State Police Commission as part of the proposed framework. Kingsley Ugabi, representing Etsako East Constituency, and Maria Edeko, representing Esan North-East Constituency II, also supported the bill, saying it could help improve peace and security in communities.
Hon Ojezelle moved the motion for the passage of the bill, which was seconded by Minority Leader Natasha Osawaru. The motion was subsequently carried. Speaker Yekini Idaiye described the bill as important and directed the Clerk of the House to prepare and transmit clean copies of the Assembly’s concurrence resolution to the National Assembly.
Rivers lawmakers endorsed the proposal on Monday, September 27. After presenting the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (Fifth Alteration) Bill, 2022, to the House, Speaker Martins Amaewhule explaining that it seeks to create a constitutional pathway for the establishment of State Police Services, subject to the Constitution and to an Act of the National Assembly prescribing national minimum policing standards.
According to him, the bill establishes constitutional guardrails covering civilian control, human rights, national minimum standards, independent police service commissions, intergovernmental cooperation, criminal information systems, firearms control, and exceptional federal intervention in state policing in cases of breakdown, serious incapacity, national security threat, or egregious abuse. All 25 members voted in support of the bill by a show of their hands
The Speaker said, “Anything that needs to be done towards ensuring that our people are properly protected, so that people can move freely, stay in their homes, go about their normal businesses without fear or hindrance by anybody or group of persons, will continue to be our top priority.” The Oyo State House of Assembly acted on Tuesday, September 29, at a plenary presided over by the Speaker, Adebo Ogundoyin, after clause-by-clause consideration by the lawmakers.
According to Ogundoyin, the passage of the bill would have significant legislative implications for the Oyo Assembly, particularly the need to develop a comprehensive State Police Law capable of translating the constitutional framework into an effective operational institution. Explaining the bill to members, the speaker disclosed that the proposed amendment would fundamentally restructure Nigeria’s policing architecture by providing for a Federal Police Service alongside State Police Services.
He stated that the Bill would empower each state to establish its own Police Service through legislation by the State House of Assembly, while defining the respective responsibilities of federal and state police authorities.
Ogundoyin noted that the State Police would be responsible for the enforcement of state laws, public safety and order, prevention and detection of offences, protection of life and property and other local policing functions prescribed by state law.
The Speaker explained that the proposed framework would also establish State Police Service Commissions with responsibilities covering the appointment, promotion, transfer, discipline, oversight, complaints and accountability of state police personnel.
He said the Bill provides for a State Commander of Police to head each State Police Service, with the Commander to be appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of the National Police Council and subject to confirmation by the State House of Assembly.
Ogundoyin also highlighted provisions empowering the National Assembly to prescribe minimum policing standards for both Federal and State police services. The push for state police has intensified in recent years amid persistent security challenges across different parts of Nigeria and concerns over the capacity of the centrally controlled Nigeria Police Force to respond effectively to threats spread across the country’s vast territory.
Supporters of the reform have argued that state-controlled police could bring policing closer to communities, improve local intelligence gathering and enable quicker responses to security threats peculiar to individual states.
The proposal, however, involves significant constitutional and institutional questions, including the structure of command, operational safeguards, funding, accountability and the protection of police personnel from political interference. The current constitutional framework provides for the Nigeria Police Force as a federal institution, with policing largely controlled from the centre.
The proposed amendment seeks to create a constitutional basis for states to establish and operate their own police formations alongside the existing federal structure. The state police proposal has also received backing from President Bola Tinubu, with the administration advancing broader reforms aimed at restructuring policing and improving internal security.
A Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill was subsequently inaugurated to work on the framework for implementing the proposed policing structure. The Chairman of the working group, Femi Gbajabiamila, had said the reform was intended to bring policing closer to Nigerians, while establishing safeguards capable of making the system more effective and trusted.
The proposed constitutional alteration is therefore expected to determine the legal foundation upon which the decentralised policing arrangement would operate. For the amendment to advance, the required number of state legislatures must endorse the bill before it can return to the National Assembly and subsequently be presented to the President for assent.
The outcome of the ongoing votes by the 36 state Houses of Assembly will determine whether the constitutional process for establishing state police secures the required nationwide legislative support.