The Ekiti State House of Assembly has passed the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, seeking to establish state police services across the country.

The bill scaled second and third readings during plenary, with all 21 lawmakers present supporting its passage, signalling the Assembly’s endorsement of the proposed constitutional framework for decentralised policing.

Following the passage, the Speaker, Adeoye Aribasoye, directed the Clerk of the House to transmit the document to the National Assembly alongside the observations made by the state legislature.

Aribasoye described the establishment of state police as an issue that had remained at the forefront of national discourse for more than two decades, noting that the Assembly had a historic opportunity to contribute to the debate.

In its report on the bill, the Committee of the Whole House recommended that the Assembly grant concurrence to the proposed constitutional alteration, subject to an amendment to Section 317A, subsection five.

Specifically, the committee proposed inserting the phrase, “an Act of the National Assembly or a Law of the State House of Assembly, as applicable,” after the words “this Constitution” in the newly inserted Section 317A, subsection five.

The amendment is intended to clarify the applicable legislative authority under the proposed constitutional provision.

The Assembly subsequently directed the Clerk to transmit the bill, alongside its observations and proposed amendment, to the National Assembly for further legislative action.