The National Assembly has moved closer to the establishment of state police in Nigeria after securing the endorsement of 29 state Houses of Assembly for the proposed constitutional amendment.
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, announced on Wednesday that the State Police Bill would be transmitted to President Bola Tinubu for assent later in the day.
Kalu made the disclosure while presiding over plenary at the House of Representatives.
He expressed satisfaction with the level of support received from state legislatures, describing the development as an important milestone in the country’s efforts to restructure its policing system.
According to him, the approval by 29 out of the 36 state assemblies has fulfilled the constitutional requirement for the proposed amendment to advance to the next stage.
“The State Police Bill has received the backing of 29 State Assemblies. Later today, the Clerk to the National Assembly will transmit it to the President for assent,” he said.
The development represents a significant step in the long-running debate over the establishment of state police in Nigeria.
The proposed reform seeks to give state governments the constitutional authority to establish and operate their own police formations to complement the existing Nigeria Police Force.
For several years, the country’s centralised policing arrangement has remained a subject of national discussion, particularly amid persistent security challenges across different parts of the federation.
Nigeria currently operates a centralised police structure under the control of the Federal Government.
Although police officers are deployed across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, the authority to establish, manage and control the force rests largely with the Federal Government.
The proposed constitutional amendment is expected to change that arrangement by allowing individual states to establish police institutions responsible for addressing security concerns within their territories.
Under the proposed arrangement, state governments would have greater involvement in maintaining law and order, responding to criminal activities and developing security strategies suited to the peculiar challenges of their respective communities.
The reform is also expected to strengthen security operations at the grassroots level by bringing policing closer to residents and communities.
Supporters of state police have consistently argued that Nigeria’s security challenges require a policing structure that allows local authorities to respond more directly to threats within their jurisdictions.
They have maintained that a single police structure serving the entire country faces difficulties in adequately addressing the different security situations across states, particularly in areas experiencing banditry, kidnapping, communal violence, terrorism and other criminal activities.
The proposed amendment is therefore intended to provide a constitutional framework for states to take greater responsibility for internal security without necessarily abolishing the existing federal police structure.
However, the establishment of state police has also generated concerns about its implementation, particularly regarding political interference, funding, accountability and the protection of citizens’ fundamental rights.
There have been concerns that some state governors could use local police formations against political opponents or individuals perceived to be critical of their administrations.
Questions have also been raised about how the proposed forces would be funded, supervised and coordinated with the Nigeria Police Force to prevent conflicts between federal and state security agencies.
These issues are expected to remain important as the country moves towards implementing the proposed constitutional changes.
The National Assembly’s decision to transmit the bill follows the constitutional amendment procedure, which requires the approval of at least two-thirds of the state Houses of Assembly before an alteration to the Constitution can be completed.
With 29 state legislatures endorsing the proposal, the bill has secured support beyond the required threshold of 24 states.
The next stage involves the President’s assent to the constitutional alteration bill, following its passage through the required legislative process.
The anticipated presidential assent is expected to further advance the legal process towards allowing states to establish their own police structures.
