The House of Representatives is expected to vote on Thursday on a constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish state police as part of ongoing efforts to tackle Nigeria’s worsening security challenges.
Gatekeepers News reports that the proposal is regarded as one of the most significant security reforms currently before the National Assembly.
Deputy Speaker of the House, Benjamin Kalu, who chairs the House Committee on Constitution Review, announced that lawmakers would prioritise the state police proposal during deliberations on constitutional amendments.
He said the current policing structure has proven inadequate in addressing local security threats and that legislative action is needed to improve response times and community-based policing.
According to Kalu, extensive consultations have been held with key stakeholders, including state governors, the Presidency, and the Inspector-General of Police, with broad support reportedly emerging for the creation of state police. He expressed confidence that the proposal would secure the backing of lawmakers and later receive approval from state legislatures.
The move follows months of discussions between the National Assembly, the Presidency, and security agencies on the framework for decentralised policing. Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, recently disclosed that significant progress had been made toward establishing state police, with constitutional amendments and enabling laws being prepared.
President Bola Tinubu has also thrown his weight behind the proposal, urging lawmakers to amend the constitution to allow state police while putting safeguards in place to prevent abuse by state governments.
If passed by the National Assembly, the constitutional amendment will be transmitted to the 36 state Houses of Assembly for ratification before it can be signed into law by the President. Under the constitution, approval by at least two-thirds of the state legislatures will be required for the reform to take effect.
