The Ekiti State House of Assembly has unanimously approved the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, seeking to establish State Police Services across Nigeria as part of efforts to decentralise policing and strengthen internal security.
The bill was passed on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, during plenary in Ado-Ekiti, with all 21 lawmakers present voting in favour of the proposed constitutional amendment.
Following its passage, the Speaker of the House, Adeoye Stephen Aribasoye, directed the Clerk of the Assembly to transmit the approved document to the National Assembly, together with observations and recommendations made by the state legislature.
The development represents another step in Nigeria's ongoing constitutional amendment process, which seeks to create a legal framework allowing individual states to establish police services alongside the existing federal policing structure.
Speaking after the deliberations, Aribasoye described the establishment of state police as an issue that had dominated national discussions for more than two decades.
He said Nigeria's security challenges required practical reforms capable of improving law enforcement operations and addressing concerns raised by citizens.
According to the Speaker, many Nigerians have expressed dissatisfaction with delays in responding to emergencies, the limited reach of security agencies and the distance between police authorities and the communities they serve.
He argued that inadequate local policing had contributed to insecurity in some areas, affecting businesses, education, livelihoods and public confidence in security institutions.
Aribasoye maintained that a properly structured state police system could improve accountability by bringing policing leadership and oversight closer to local communities.
However, he emphasised that such arrangements would require appropriate constitutional safeguards to ensure effective supervision and prevent misuse of authority.
The Speaker described state policing as a long-overdue practical necessity rather than merely a theoretical proposal.
The Assembly's approval followed consideration of the bill by its Committee of the Whole House, which examined the proposed constitutional provisions clause by clause.
According to the Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Babatunde Oke, the committee recommended that the Assembly endorse the amendment subject to an observation concerning Section 317A(5).
The proposed adjustment seeks to insert the words “an Act of the National Assembly or a Law of the State House of Assembly, as applicable” after the reference to the Constitution in the proposed section.
The committee explained that the addition would expressly recognise the legislative authority of both the National Assembly and state legislatures within their respective constitutional responsibilities.
This provision is significant because the proposed policing arrangement would require clear legal boundaries between federal and state authorities.
The committee subsequently recommended that the Assembly grant concurrence to the constitutional amendment while forwarding its observation for consideration at the national level.
Ekiti's approval comes as several other state legislatures consider the proposed reform.
Reports published on October 22 indicate that 15 states have now expressed support for the amendment, following developments in Ekiti and Kebbi.
Among the states previously reported to have approved the proposal are Osun, Edo, Oyo, Rivers, Zamfara, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ogun, Delta, Taraba, Cross River, Plateau and Enugu.
However, the status of individual legislative approvals and resolutions remains important, as a general declaration of support does not necessarily carry the same procedural effect as formal concurrence with the constitutional amendment.
Under Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution, an amendment of this nature requires approval by at least two-thirds of Nigeria's 36 state Houses of Assembly.
This means that a minimum of 24 state legislatures must endorse the proposal before it can proceed through the remaining constitutional process.
With 15 states reported to have backed the initiative, the reform has not yet reached the required threshold.
The proposed creation of state police has remained one of Nigeria's most debated security reforms.
Supporters argue that state-controlled policing could improve responses to kidnapping, banditry, communal violence and other local security threats.
They maintain that officers recruited and deployed within their states may possess greater knowledge of local communities, geography and emerging criminal activities.
Advocates also believe that decentralised policing could improve intelligence gathering and strengthen cooperation between security agencies and residents.
Opponents, however, have raised concerns about the possibility of political interference, particularly the risk that state governments could misuse police powers against political opponents or vulnerable communities.
Other concerns include differences in state funding capacity, recruitment standards, training and the protection of fundamental rights.
These competing considerations have made constitutional safeguards, operational independence and accountability central issues in the ongoing debate.
The proposed reform would therefore require more than the creation of new police institutions.
Its implementation would also depend on clear rules governing jurisdiction, recruitment, funding, oversight and cooperation between federal and state police services.
The National Assembly transmitted the proposed constitutional alteration to the 36 state Houses of Assembly in September 2026 for their consideration.
The latest approval by Ekiti adds to the growing number of state legislatures supporting the proposed changes.
Nevertheless, the passage of the bill by the Ekiti Assembly does not mean that state police have already been established or that the constitutional amendment has become law.
Further legislative approvals and completion of the constitutional amendment process remain necessary.
For now, the decision places Ekiti among the states formally backing a significant restructuring of Nigeria's policing system.
Attention will now turn to the remaining state Houses of Assembly and whether enough legislatures will endorse the proposal to meet the constitutional threshold.
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