The Ondo State House of Assembly has endorsed a proposed constitutional amendment to establish state police, with lawmakers arguing that locally based policing could improve security in farming communities and strengthen crime prevention. The approval was given during plenary on Monday as part of the ongoing national process to amend the 1999 Constitution.

The bill, transmitted to the Assembly by the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, passed its second and third readings after securing more than the required two-thirds majority of lawmakers. The decision reflects the state legislature’s support for a policing structure that would give greater attention to security concerns within local communities.

Speaker of the Assembly, Olamide Oladiji, said the question of state police had remained part of Nigeria’s national debate for more than two decades. He described the proposed amendment as a response to persistent security challenges and said the legislature had a role to play in efforts to improve public safety.

During deliberations, lawmakers identified faster emergency response, stronger intelligence gathering and better understanding of local security conditions as possible benefits of state policing. They said a state-level structure could complement the Federal Police Service by focusing on community-level threats, while federal officers concentrate more on interstate crime and other complex cases.

Protecting farmers was among the key concerns raised by the lawmakers. They argued that a policing structure closer to rural communities could help address kidnapping and attacks affecting farmers, improve safety in agricultural areas and support food production. They also highlighted the need for stronger security on highways to protect travellers and curb criminal activity.

The Committee of the Whole House, which reviewed the bill clause by clause, recommended that the Assembly approve the amendment, subject to a proposed change to Section 317A(5). The recommendation was considered as part of the legislative process before the House granted its concurrence to the proposal.

Following the vote, Oladiji directed the Clerk of the Assembly to forward the bill, together with the legislature’s observations and recommendations, to the National Assembly. The approval does not by itself establish state police in Ondo or across Nigeria; the proposal must continue through the constitutionally prescribed amendment process before any new policing arrangement can take effect.