The Osun State House of Assembly has become the first state legislature in Nigeria to approve the proposed constitutional amendment seeking to establish State Police Services.
The approval was given during plenary on Tuesday, September 22, after lawmakers considered the proposal transmitted to the state legislature by the National Assembly.
The decision places Osun at the forefront of the ongoing constitutional process aimed at changing Nigeria’s current policing structure and creating a framework that would allow states to operate their own police services alongside the Federal Police.
The Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, presented the communication from the National Assembly to lawmakers, requesting state Houses of Assembly across the country to consider and approve the proposed amendment.
During the debate, lawmakers representing different constituencies expressed support for the proposal.
Lawrence Adeoti, representing Ife South State Constituency, and Taofeek Olayiwola, representing Ede South State Constituency, argued that the establishment of State Police would strengthen security and improve the ability of authorities to respond to security challenges.
Other lawmakers, including Adewumi Adeyemi of Obokun State Constituency and Jeremiah Awoyeye of Ife Central State Constituency, also described the proposal as timely.
They maintained that policing closer to communities could strengthen security responses at both state and local government levels.
Following the debate, the Majority Leader of the Assembly, Babajide Kofoworola, representing Ede North State Constituency, moved a motion for the House to approve the proposed constitutional amendment. The motion was seconded by Tajudeen Adeyemi, representing Ifelodun State Constituency.
The amendment was subsequently approved unanimously by the lawmakers.
The development makes Osun the first state to formally approve the State Police Services proposal after the National Assembly transmitted the bill to the 36 state Houses of Assembly.
However, the approval by the Osun Assembly does not mean State Police has been established in the state yet.
The proposal is part of a wider constitutional amendment process. Under Nigeria’s constitutional amendment procedure, the proposal requires approval by at least two-thirds of the state Houses of Assembly before the process can move to subsequent stages.
The National Assembly has also clarified that the State Police Services Bill is currently the only constitutional alteration proposal that has been transmitted to the state legislatures.
The clarification was contained in a statement by the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, following reports suggesting that the entire package of proposed constitutional amendments had already been sent to the states.
According to Ogunlana, the State Police proposal was prioritised because of widespread concerns over insecurity and policing across the country.
He explained that other constitutional alteration bills before the National Assembly would be transmitted to the state Houses of Assembly after they have been passed in identical form by both chambers of the National Assembly.
The proposed State Police system would therefore still require further legislative steps before it can become part of Nigeria’s constitutional framework.
For now, Osun’s approval represents the first state-level endorsement in the ongoing process, with other state Houses of Assembly expected to consider the proposal in the coming days.
Meanwhile, the Osun Assembly also considered the Osun State Park Management System Bill, 2026, during Tuesday’s plenary.
The House dissolved into the Committee of the Whole to consider proposed amendments and corrections to the bill, with the changes subsequently adopted as part of the legislative process.