The Ekiti State House of Assembly has passed a bill seeking to amend the 1999 Constitution to provide for the establishment of state police services across the country.

The House disclosed that the bill, known as the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, scaled its second and third readings during plenary.

At the plenary, all 21 lawmakers present supported its passage, signalling the Assembly’s endorsement of the proposed constitutional framework for decentralised policing.

The Speaker, Rt Hon Adeoye Aribasoye, following the passage, directed the Clerk of the House to transmit the bill to the National Assembly alongside the observations made by the state legislature.

Aribasoye described the proposed establishment of state police as an issue that had dominated national discourse for more than two decades.

He said the country needed an effective and responsive policing system capable of addressing the security challenges confronting communities.

Aribasoye noted that Nigerians had repeatedly expressed concerns over delayed responses to distress calls, operational limitations and the distance between security agencies and the communities they were expected to protect.

According to him, inadequate and poorly coordinated local policing in some areas had contributed to insecurity, threatening livelihoods, disrupting education, undermining business confidence and weakening public trust.

He said a properly structured state police system could improve accountability by bringing policing leadership and oversight closer to the people and their elected representatives, subject to appropriate constitutional safeguards.

Aribasoye added that Nigeria could not afford unnecessary delays in tackling insecurity, describing state police as a practical necessity rather than a theoretical option.

In its report, the Committee of the House recommended that the Assembly concur with the proposed constitutional alteration, subject to an amendment to Section 317A(5).

The committee said it considered the bill clause by clause before recommending its passage, with a specific proposal to insert the words, “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 proposed Section 317A(5).

It said the amendment was intended to recognise the legislative authority of the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly, within their respective constitutional jurisdictions, in authorising relevant security arrangements.

The committee recommended that the House approve the bill subject to the proposed amendment, which forms part of the observations to be forwarded to the National Assembly for consideration.

A man has died while attempting to rescue a two-year-old child who fell inside a well in Abule Egba, Lagos State, while the toddler remains missing.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, disclosed this in a statement issued by its Permanent Secretary, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, on Tuesday.

The incident occurred on Paul Street, inward Agbe Road, after the toddler, whose mother reportedly worked as a cleaner in the compound, accidentally fell into the well.

A male resident reportedly entered the well in an attempt to save the child but became trapped and was unable to climb out.

LASEMA said it received a distress call and deployed a response team from its Igando Base. However, the man was found dead.

“The gallant rescuer who attempted the rescue was recovered deceased,” Oke-Osanyintolu stated.

His remains were handed over to his relatives and members of the Hausa community for burial in accordance with their customs.

Emergency responders, including the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the Lagos State Neighborhood Safety Corps and the police, subsequently launched a search for the missing toddler.

However, the operation was hampered by the large volume of water and thick mud inside the well. Efforts to drain the water failed to yield the desired result.

According to LASEMA, a specialist local diver was later deployed for a final search but confirmed that the child had sunk deep into the mud and could not be retrieved. Only one shoe belonging to the toddler was recovered.

The agency said the operation was discontinued after consultations with the family and community leaders.

LASEMA commiserated with the deceased man’s family and the Hausa community, describing his attempt to save the child as an act of uncommon bravery.

It also urged residents to properly secure wells and other openings around their homes to prevent similar incidents.

The agency warned against attempting dangerous rescue operations without professional assistance, advising residents to contact emergency responders through 767 or 112 when such incidents occur.

A 45-year-old man, Abubakar Musa, alias Daddy, has been condemned to death by hanging by Yobe State High Court 1 in Damaturu for the killing of his wife, Ammi Mamman.

The High Court delivered the verdict on Wednesday, about two years after the crime was committed.

Musa was apprehended on January 4, 2024, by operatives of the Yobe State Police Command over the killing of his wife at New Bra-Bra Housing Estate, Damaturu, and was arraigned for culpable homicide.

In a judgement, the court dismissed the not-guilty plea entered by the defendant, holding that it could not stand in the face of credible evidence presented before the court.

The court ruled that the prosecution successfully proved all elements of culpable homicide beyond reasonable doubt.

Consequently, the defendant was found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging.

The judgement provides that the convict may file an appeal within the legally allowed timeframe, otherwise the sentence will be executed.