Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The Osun State House of Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution approving the proposed alteration of the Constitution to allow for the creation of State Police, becoming one of the state legislatures to formally endorse the Constitution Alteration Bill transmitted by the National Assembly, a move that brings Nigeria a step closer to a fundamental restructuring of its policing architecture.
The resolution was passed during plenary after the Majority Leader, Babajide Kofoworola, representing Ede-North State Constituency, moved the motion for the House to support the proposed amendment. The motion was seconded by Tajudeen Adeyemi, representing Ifelodun State Constituency. The Speaker, Adewale Egbedun, who read the letter transmitted by the National Assembly requesting State Houses of Assembly across the federation to deliberate on and approve the proposed constitutional amendment, said the approved amendment of the House would be forwarded to the National Assembly for consideration.
The Bill, titled the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, seeks to alter the Constitution to provide for the establishment of State Police Services and for related matters. The National Assembly passed the State Police Creation Amendment Bill on June 24, 2026, before transmitting it to the 36 State Houses of Assembly for consideration and approval. The Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, clarified in a statement that the State Police Bill was the only constitutional amendment proposal so far forwarded to the states, following reports and public perceptions suggesting that all the Constitution Alteration Bills before the National Assembly had been transmitted to state legislatures. He said the decision to prioritise the State Police Bill was in response to widespread public demands and concerns over security and policing in the country.
The debate in the Osun Assembly reflected broad support for the proposal across party lines. Lawrence Adeoti, representing Ife-South State Constituency, Taofeek Olayiwola, representing Ede-South State Constituency, Adewumi Adeyemi, representing Obokun State Constituency, and Jeremiah Awoyeye, representing Ife-Central State Constituency, described the proposed establishment of State Police Services as timely, noting that it would strengthen the security architecture of the country, particularly at the state and local government levels. They maintained that the proposed amendment would enhance the ability of states to provide adequate security personnel and respond more effectively to security challenges within their respective jurisdictions.
The passage of the resolution in Osun follows a pattern of growing support for state police across the country, driven by persistent insecurity that has overwhelmed the centrally controlled Nigeria Police Force. Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State had previously expressed strong support for the establishment of state police, promising not to interfere with its operations or shield anyone from facing the law. Speaking in August 2026 at the ARISE Town Hall in Osogbo, Adeleke said concerns that state governors could abuse the proposed system should not be used to discourage its establishment. "When I was in the Senate, I was the one that introduced the State Police," Adeleke said. He gave a personal example, saying even his son would be allowed to face the law if he committed an offence. "If it is my son, because I trained him very well, that committed offence, you go and face the law. That is it. I'm not going to bend for anybody," he said.
The push for state police has been a subject of intense national debate for years, with proponents arguing that decentralised policing would improve response times, enhance local intelligence gathering and bring security closer to communities. Critics, including some governors and civil society groups, have warned that state-controlled police could be weaponised against political opponents and used to entrench impunity at the sub-national level. Those concerns have been particularly pronounced in states where political tensions are high, and they featured prominently in public hearings organised by the National Assembly on the proposed legislation.
In Osun State, the debate over state police has unfolded against a backdrop of political tension and security challenges. The state has experienced political violence, including the killing of an Accord Party chieftain at a motor park in Ile-Ife, and a long-running dispute over the leadership of the National Union of Road Transport Workers that prompted the state government to announce a Park Management System to restore order. The Osun Assembly also commenced consideration of the Park Management System Bill, 2026, during the same plenary session, with lawmakers dissolving into the Committee of the Whole for further consideration of the proposed amendments and corrections to the bill.
Stakeholders in Osun, Ondo and Ekiti states had earlier called for broader participation in the constitutional amendment process, urging Nigerians to pay equal attention to all constitutional amendment bills rather than focusing solely on the state police proposal. They noted that participation from the South-West region was low when the National Assembly organised public hearings on state police, and stressed that public input was crucial for critical reforms such as state police and local government autonomy.
The resolution passed by the Osun Assembly will now be forwarded to the National Assembly, where it will be collated with decisions from other state legislatures. For the amendment to succeed, it must be approved by at least 24 of the 36 state Houses of Assembly, reflecting the two-thirds requirement for constitutional alteration. Once approved by the requisite number of states, the bill will be returned to the National Assembly for final approval and then transmitted to the President for assent, paving the way for the establishment of state police in line with the directives of President Bola Tinubu.
The coming weeks will determine whether Osun's endorsement becomes part of a decisive national consensus or whether the proposal falters amid the deep divisions that have characterised the debate over policing reform. For the people of Osun State, the resolution represents a statement of intent: that the state legislature believes the current security architecture is insufficient and that a decentralised system offers a better path forward. Whether that belief translates into a functional state police force that protects lives and property without becoming an instrument of political control remains the central challenge that will define the next phase of Nigeria's policing reform journey.
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