By Summary
- Osun State House of Assembly on Tuesday became the first of Nigeria’s 36 state legislatures to ratify the constitutional amendment establishing state police forces
- National Assembly clarifies that only the State Police Services Bill, not the full slate of proposed constitutional amendments, has been sent to state assemblies for consideration
- Bill requires backing from at least 24 of the 36 states to pass into law, part of President Bola Tinubu’s security reform push ahead of the January elections
Osun State’s House of Assembly has become the first in the country to approve a constitutional amendment that would pave the way for the creation of state police forces, as lawmakers in Abuja moved to clear up confusion over exactly which reforms have been placed before the states.
Lawmakers in Osogbo voted unanimously on Tuesday to back the proposal, following a plenary session in which the Speaker, Adewale Egbedun, read out a letter from the National Assembly asking state legislatures nationwide to deliberate on and approve the amendment.
The vote comes roughly a week after the National Assembly formally transmitted the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, to all 36 state assemblies. The clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, disclosed the move in a statement dated September 16, describing the bill as designed to create a legal pathway for state-level policing structures across the country.
However, the announcement appeared to trigger some misunderstanding, with reports circulating that lawmakers had sent an entire package of proposed constitutional changes down to the states at once. Ogunlana pushed back on that characterisation on Tuesday, stressing that the state police measure was, for now, the only alteration bill that had made it to the states, since it was the only one to have cleared both chambers in identical form. He explained that other pending constitutional changes would only be transmitted once they, too, had passed both the Senate and House of Representatives in matching versions.
Those other outstanding proposals include amendments on local government autonomy, independent candidacy for elections, reserved legislative seats for women, and a framework for citizenship by investment.
Nationwide Ratification Process Still Ahead
Nigeria’s constitution requires that any alteration bill be endorsed by at least two-thirds of the country’s state assemblies — 24 out of 36 — before it can take effect. The National Assembly had asked states to return their resolutions within 30 days of transmission, though Ogunlana noted the timeline was administrative rather than a binding constitutional requirement.
If the bill clears that threshold nationwide, it would rank among the most significant changes to Nigeria’s security and governance architecture since the country’s return to civilian rule in 1999. Backers of the reform argue that handing policing powers to the states would allow for faster, more locally-tailored responses to Nigeria’s varied security challenges, reducing the current reliance on a single, centrally-controlled police force.
How the Debate Unfolded in Osogbo
During Tuesday’s plenary in Osun, several lawmakers spoke in favour of the bill before it was put to a vote. The member representing Ife South, Lawrence Adeoti, and his Ede South counterpart, Taofeek Olayiwola, both backed the measure, arguing that state police would strengthen security nationwide. Lawmakers representing Obokun and Ife Central constituencies, Adewumi Adeyemi and Jeremiah Awoyeye respectively, described the timing of the proposal as apt, while other contributors argued that decentralising policing would better equip states to protect residents and respond swiftly to local threats.
The Assembly’s Majority Leader, Babajide Kofoworola, who represents Ede North, moved the motion for the House to endorse the amendment, and it was seconded by Ifelodun lawmaker Tajudeen Adeyemi before being adopted.
Beyond the state police vote, Tuesday’s sitting also saw the Assembly go into a Committee of the Whole to review the Osun State Park Management System Bill, 2026, with lawmakers considering and adopting a series of proposed amendments and corrections to that legislation.
With Osun now setting the pace, attention turns to how quickly other state assemblies move to take up the bill, and whether the reform can clear the two-thirds threshold needed to become law.
