By Isaac Olufemi Ojo
IBADAN — The Oyo State House of Assembly on Tuesday threw its weight behind the decentralization of Nigeria’s security architecture, passing the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, to provide a legal framework for the establishment of State Police.
The crucial bill was passed during the plenary session presided over by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Adebo Edward Ogundoyin, following a rigorous clause-by-clause consideration by the lawmakers.
Its passage followed a formal communication from the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, Esq., transmitting the legislative document to the Oyo parliament for concurrence.
According to the National Assembly, the landmark bill successfully scaled through the Senate on June 24, 2026, and the House of Representatives on July 23, 2026, before being forwarded to state legislatures for expeditious approval in line with Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution.
Speaking on the floor of the House, Speaker Ogundoyin emphasized that the development marks a turning point in the nation’s history, noting that it places an immediate legislative responsibility on the Oyo Assembly to craft a comprehensive State Police Law that will operationalize the constitutional amendment.
“This proposed amendment fundamentally restructures Nigeria’s policing architecture by establishing a dual framework comprising a Federal Police Service alongside independent State Police Services,” Ogundoyin explained.
Under the new framework, individual states will be empowered to establish their own police services via legislation, clearly delineating responsibilities between federal and state security authorities.
The Speaker detailed that the state policing outfit will be primarily tasked with the enforcement of state laws, the preservation of public safety and order, the prevention and detection of crimes, the protection of lives and property, and other grassroots security functions.
To ensure transparency and administrative sanity, the framework provides for the establishment of State Police Service Commissions. These bodies will oversee the recruitment, promotion, transfer, discipline, and public accountability of state police personnel.
Furthermore, the bill stipulates that each State Police Service will be headed by a State Commander of Police. The officer is to be appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the National Police Council, subject to the confirmation of the State House of Assembly.
While the National Assembly retains the prerogative to set baseline minimum policing standards nationwide, the bill grants individual states the autonomy to enforce higher or additional standards tailored to their local security realities.
