Constitution review, Ondo crash top agenda as Senate resumes today

File Photo: Nigerian Senate

The proposed establishment of state police, the fatal Nigerian Air Force aircraft crash in Ondo State and the postponed National Security Summit are set to top the agenda as the Senate resumes plenary today (Tuesday), amid mounting security concerns across the country.

The lawmakers are also expected to revisit ongoing electoral reforms and deliberate on insecurity and other pressing national issues amid growing concerns over the country’s security challenges.

The Senate had postponed its two-day National Security Summit, earlier scheduled for October 12 and 13, following the death of 25 officers and seven crew members in the Nigerian Air Force aircraft crash in Ondo State.

The Senate Leader and Chairman of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the National Security Summit, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, announced the postponement in a statement issued in Abuja.

He said the decision was taken in honour of the victims and in line with the three-day national mourning declared by President Bola Tinubu.

The summit was designed to bring together key stakeholders to examine Nigeria’s persistent security challenges and develop practical measures to strengthen the protection of lives and property.

The ad hoc committee had completed preparations for the meeting after the conclusion of zonal public hearings held ahead of the national summit.

However, the crash involving a NAF ATR-42 aircraft in Igbokoda, Ondo State, on Monday forced the Senate to suspend the planned gathering.

The incident claimed the lives of 25 officers and seven crew members, prompting widespread mourning and calls for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.

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Tinubu subsequently declared three days of national mourning for the deceased and directed that national flags be flown at half-mast across the country. He also ordered a thorough investigation into the crash to establish its cause.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, told The PUNCH that the lawmakers would focus on key national issues, including insecurity and broader economic challenges.

Adaramodu said the constitutional amendment process, particularly the proposed establishment of state police, would be among the priorities of the Senate.

He said, “Our priorities on resumption is about revisiting the constitutional amendments which we have put together. I am sure you are aware that we have sent the State Police bill to the State House of Assembly and we are expecting its return. So, we are going to expand on that and look into it”

The National Assembly had on September 16 transmitted the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, seeking to establish State Police Services, to the 36 state Houses of Assembly for consideration.

The proposed amendment is part of the ongoing constitutional review process aimed at providing a legal framework for state police, a measure that has attracted growing attention amid persistent security challenges across the country.

The consideration of the bill by the state assemblies is a key step in the amendment process, as constitutional alterations require approval by at least two-thirds of the state Houses of Assembly before presidential assent.

The Senate’s resumption is therefore expected to provide an opportunity for lawmakers to review the progress of the constitutional amendment process, alongside preparations for the rescheduled security summit and other legislative business.