The Ekiti State House of Assembly has officially given its backing to the decentralization of security architecture by passing a bill seeking the establishment of state police services across the country.
During plenary on Tuesday, all twenty-one lawmakers in attendance threw their weight behind the legislation, fast-tracking it through both the second and third readings. With the legislative hurdle cleared in the state, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Adeoye Stephen Aribasoye, instructed the Clerk of the House to forward the clean copy of the document to the National Assembly, accompanied by specific observations and amendments put forward by the state legislature.
Reflecting on the milestone, Aribasoye pointed out that the conversation surrounding state policing has lingered in the nation’s political and security discourse for more than twenty years. He emphasized that the current security climate demands bold, practical measures rather than endless deliberation, noting that the Ekiti legislature seized a historic moment to shape the future of local safety.
According to the Speaker, the centralized policing model has long suffered from sluggish responses to distress calls, restricted operational reach, and a widening gap between law enforcement personnel and the grassroots communities they are sworn to protect. He noted that these structural gaps have allowed pockets of insecurity to fester, ultimately harming local businesses, disrupting educational activities, threatening livelihoods, and draining public confidence.
A structured state police system, he argued, would foster deeper accountability by placing operational leadership and civic oversight directly in the hands of local authorities and elected representatives, all while remaining bound by strict constitutional safeguards. Describing the initiative as an urgent necessity rather than a mere theoretical debate, Aribasoye maintained that the nation can no longer afford to drag its feet on security reforms.
Earlier, the Committee of the Whole House reviewed the legislation clause by clause before presenting a report favoring concurrence, albeit with a specific tweak to Section 317A(5). The committee recommended inserting the phrase “an Act of the National Assembly or a Law of the State House of Assembly, as applicable” right after the mention of the constitution in the newly drafted section.
This adjustment is designed to formally safeguard and acknowledge the distinct legislative powers of both federal and state parliaments in authorizing and regulating security arrangements within their respective constitutional domains.
