The Ondo State House of Assembly has endorsed the creation of state police, describing the proposed reform as a necessary step towards tackling insecurity at the grassroots and protecting farming communities across the country.

The lawmakers approved the constitutional amendment during Monday’s plenary after the bill scaled through second and third readings with more than the required two-thirds majority.

The proposal, transmitted to the Assembly by the Clerk to the National Assembly, Mr. Kamoru Ogunlana, seeks to alter the 1999 Constitution to provide for the establishment of State Police Services nationwide.

Presiding over the session, Speaker Olamide Oladiji said the decision followed extensive deliberations and a clause-by-clause review of the bill by the Committee of the Whole House.

He said the Assembly considered the reform necessary to strengthen security and governance, stressing that Nigeria could no longer delay practical measures to protect lives and property.

“Following the extensive deliberations and thorough scrutiny of this bill by this Honourable House, it is clear that this is the least we can do to strengthen security and governance in our dear state,” Oladiji said.

The lawmakers argued that a decentralised policing structure would improve understanding of local security challenges, speed up emergency response, strengthen intelligence gathering and enhance crime prevention.

They also said state police could complement the Federal Police Service by handling local security concerns, while federal officers concentrate on interstate crimes and more complex security operations.

Farmers’ protection featured prominently in the debate. The Assembly said the proposed structure could help curb kidnapping and attacks in farming communities, improve rural safety and support food production.

The lawmakers further called for stronger security along highways to safeguard travellers and reduce criminal activities.

Following the approval, the Speaker directed the Clerk of the Assembly to transmit the bill to the National Assembly, along with the legislature’s observations and recommendations, in line with the constitutional amendment process.

The development adds momentum to ongoing national efforts to create a legal framework for decentralised policing.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu inaugurated the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill on July 7, 2026, to prepare the framework for implementing state police nationwide.

The move followed the National Assembly’s passage of the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026, which proposes a dual policing structure made up of a Federal Police Service and 36 State Police Services.

For Ondo lawmakers, the approval represents more than a legislative procedure, it is a call for a security system that responds faster, understands local realities and protects the people whose safety and livelihoods depend on it.