New twists as Reps pass Bill on State Police

The House of Representatives, on Thursday, overwhelmingly voted in favour of a constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish state police across the country, marking a major step in efforts to address Nigeria’s worsening security challenges.

The bill also scaled second reading in the Senate.

In the House of Representatives, the bill secured the support of 289 of the 290 lawmakers in attendance, while only one member voted against it during plenary.

The proposed legislation is among the constitution alteration bills currently being considered by the National Assembly and seeks to amend relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution to allow states establish and operate their own police services alongside the Nigeria Police Force.

The outcome of the vote reflects growing consensus among lawmakers that the country’s centralised policing structure has become inadequate in tackling rising cases of banditry, kidnapping, terrorism, communal clashes and other forms of insecurity across the federation.

Speaking during debates preceding the vote, lawmakers in support of the proposal maintained that sufficient constitutional safeguards can be put in place to prevent abuse to enhance grassroots security.

The approval by the House represents one of the most significant constitutional reforms considered by the 10th National Assembly and aligns with longstanding calls by security experts, traditional rulers, governors and civil society groups for the decentralisation of policing in Nigeria.

The bill will now proceed through the constitutional amendment process, requiring concurrence by the Senate and approval by at least two-thirds of the Houses of Assembly of the states before it can be transmitted for presidential assent.

At the Senate, the bill for the Establishment of State Police and for Related Matters (Sixth Alteration), 2026 (SB. 794), sponsored by the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), passed second reading.

When it was presented, on Thursday, for consideration, the bill enjoyed broad support among all senators across political divides.

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, thereafter, referred it to the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution chaired by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Jibrin Barau(APC, Kano North) for further consideration, scrutiny and will report back to the Senate.

In his presentation of the general principles of the bill, Bamidele highlighted the national significance of creating a state police among the dwindling power of the Nigeria Police to ensure internal stability.

He noted that the bill was sponsored as one of the measures to strengthen internal security architecture across the Federation, explaining that the bill sought to modernise Nigeria’s security architecture by establishing Federal and State Police structures.

Senators, mostly from the North, spoke in favour of the establishment of state police, saying creation of State Police will provide a lasting solution to the insecurity problem in the country.

In his contribution, Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Tahir Monguno (APC, Borno North) who expressed strong support for the proposed state police Bill, said that its passage will help address the proliferation of various vigilante groups operating across the country.