The Ekiti State House of Assembly on Wednesday handed the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, to establish State Police Services in Nigeria.
The bill scaled second and third readings throughout plenary, with all 21 members current supporting its passage, signalling the Assembly’s endorsement of the proposed constitutional framework for decentralised policing.
After the passage, the Speaker, Adeoye Aribasoye, directed the Clerk of the House to transmit the doc to the National Assembly, together with the state legislature’s observations.
Speaking on the bill, Mr Aribasoye mentioned the proposed institution of State Police had remained on the forefront of nationwide discourse for greater than twenty years, and that the Ekiti Assembly had a historic alternative to make its place recognized on the difficulty.
The speaker burdened the necessity for efficient and responsive safety, noting that the challenges of policing in Nigeria required sensible options able to addressing the issues of residents.
He noticed that Nigerians had repeatedly expressed issues about delayed responses to misery calls, restricted operational attain, and the space between regulation enforcement businesses and the communities they had been meant to defend.
According to him, insufficient and poorly coordinated native policing in some areas had contributed to insecurity, threatening livelihoods, disrupting schooling, undermining enterprise confidence and eroding public belief.
Mr Aribasoye defined {that a} correctly structured State Police system might strengthen accountability by bringing policing management and oversight nearer to the folks and their elected representatives, topic to constitutional safeguards.
He maintained that the nation couldn’t afford pointless delays in addressing safety challenges, describing State Police as a long-overdue sensible necessity relatively than a mere theoretical desire.
In its report on the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, the Committee of the Whole House really useful that the Assembly grant concurrence to the proposed constitutional alteration, topic to an modification to Section 317A(5).
The committee reported that it had thought of the bill clause by clause and deliberated on the proposed constitutional framework for the institution and operation of State Police Services.
Specifically, the committee proposed the insertion of the phrases “an Act of the National Assembly or a Law of the State House of Assembly, as applicable” after the phrases “this Constitution” within the newly inserted Section 317A(5).
The statement is meant to expressly recognise the legislative authority of the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly, inside their respective constitutional jurisdictions, in authorising related safety preparations.
The committee subsequently really useful that the House grant its concurrence to the bill topic to the noticed parts, which was among the many observations directed to be transmitted to the National Assembly by the Clerk of the House.
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