The House of Representatives will on Thursday begin voting on a constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish state police across Nigeria, marking a significant step in ongoing efforts to address the country’s worsening security challenges.
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Review, Benjamin Kalu, announced the development on Wednesday during a briefing with journalists at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja.
The proposed legislation comes amid growing concerns over rising cases of kidnapping, terrorism, banditry, communal violence and other security threats across the country, which have intensified calls for the decentralisation of Nigeria’s policing system.
State Police Bill
The bill, sponsored by Kalu and 14 other lawmakers, passed second reading in February 2024 and seeks to amend key provisions of the 1999 Constitution to allow states to establish and manage their own police forces.
Specifically, the proposal seeks to transfer policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List, thereby granting state governments constitutional authority to create state police formations alongside the existing federal police structure.
To achieve this objective, the bill proposes amendments to Sections 197, 214 and 215 of the Constitution, among other provisions.
Addressing concerns about the legislature’s role in tackling insecurity, Kalu argued that ensuring the security of lives and property is a responsibility shared by all arms of government.
According to him, the National Assembly must deploy its constitutional powers to develop legislative solutions capable of addressing the country’s complex security challenges.
“We have always referred to the parliament, the House of Representatives, as the solution hub where hydra-headed problems of the country are presented and solutions given to them,” he said.
Kalu noted that repeated engagements with security chiefs, ministers and other stakeholders have highlighted the limitations of Nigeria’s highly centralised policing framework.
He argued that maintaining the current system without reforms may not produce the level of security Nigerians expect, especially given the scale and diversity of security threats confronting different regions of the country.
He expressed optimism that the constitutional amendment would secure legislative approval before being transmitted to state Houses of Assembly for consideration.
According to him, governors across the federation have demonstrated support for the initiative and are expected to work with their respective state legislatures to facilitate its passage.
If approved by the National Assembly, the constitutional amendment must still be endorsed by at least 24 of the 36 state Houses of Assembly before it can be transmitted to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
