The Osun State House of Assembly has approved the proposed constitutional amendment seeking to establish state police, advancing the reform to the next stage of Nigeria’s constitutional alteration process.
The lawmakers unanimously approved the proposal during plenary on Tuesday following deliberations on a request transmitted to the House by the National Assembly.
Speaker of the Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, had earlier read a letter from the National Assembly requesting state Houses of Assembly to consider and approve the proposed constitutional amendment.
Egbedun explained that the amendment had been forwarded to the House as part of the constitutional process required to alter the 1999 Constitution.
During the debate, the lawmaker representing Ife South State Constituency, Lawrence Adeoti, and his Ede South counterpart, Taofeek Olayiwola, backed the proposal, saying the establishment of state police would strengthen security across the country.
Also contributing to the debate, Adewumi Adeyemi, representing Obokun State Constituency, and Jeremiah Awoyeye of Ife Central described the proposal as timely.
They argued that state police would strengthen the country’s security architecture, particularly at the state and local government levels.
The lawmakers said the amendment would enhance the ability of states to provide security personnel and respond more effectively to security challenges within their jurisdictions.
The Majority Leader of the House, Babajide Kofoworola, representing Ede North State Constituency, subsequently moved the motion for the Assembly to approve the proposed amendment.
The motion was seconded by Tajudeen Adeyemi, representing Ifelodun State Constituency.
Osun’s decision comes as the constitutional amendment process enters a crucial stage.
The National Assembly transmitted the 1999 Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, to the 36 state Houses of Assembly on September 16 for consideration and approval.
The proposal seeking to establish state police had already passed both chambers of the National Assembly. The Senate approved the bill in June, while the House of Representatives had earlier passed its version.
For the proposal to become part of the Constitution, it must be approved by at least two-thirds of the 36 state Houses of Assembly, meaning at least 24 state legislatures must endorse it.
The proposed reform would introduce a dual policing structure comprising federal and state police services, with state police responsible for policing within their respective jurisdictions.
The constitutional amendment does not by itself create an operational Osun State Police. It forms part of the legal process required to establish state policing under the Constitution.
President Bola Tinubu has also moved towards developing the framework required to implement the proposed reform, with a Presidential Working Group earlier inaugurated to work on a National Policing Bill.
Also during Tuesday’s plenary, the Osun Assembly dissolved into the Committee of the Whole to consider the Osun State Park Management System Bill, 2026.
The committee considered proposed amendments and corrections to the bill and adopted them as part of the legislative proposal.
