Reps Clash Over State Police Bill

The House of Representatives has passed the constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish state police in Nigeria after a heated plenary session that ended with a walkout by minority lawmakers protesting the procedure adopted during the passage of the legislation.

The bill, which seeks to amend the 1999 Constitution to provide a legal framework for the creation of state police services, was approved after lawmakers considered the report of the House Committee on the Review of the Constitution.

The passage followed President Bola Tinubu’s executive bill on state police, which was transmitted to the National Assembly as part of efforts to reform Nigeria’s security architecture and address rising insecurity across the country.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, announced that 311 lawmakers participated in the voting process, comprising members who were physically present and others who joined virtually, with the bill securing the required two thirds majority for constitutional alteration.

However, the Minority Caucus of the House staged a walkout shortly before the conclusion of the process, accusing the leadership of violating constitutional provisions and the standing rules of the chamber.

The Minority Leader, Fred Agbedi, said the caucus supported the establishment of state police but rejected the procedure used in passing the bill, insisting that lawmakers should have been allowed to properly debate and consider amendments.

The opposition lawmakers alleged that the process did not comply with the constitutional requirement for altering the nation’s supreme law, while demanding a fresh review of the procedure adopted by the House leadership.

Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, who chairs the House Committee on Constitution Review, defended the passage of the bill, describing state police as a major step towards improving grassroots security and strengthening Nigeria’s policing system.

Supporters of the proposed amendment argued that allowing states to operate their own police services would improve intelligence gathering, enhance community policing and enable quicker responses to security threats.

The bill’s passage by the House comes after the Senate approved a similar proposal, moving the country closer to establishing a decentralised policing system that would operate alongside the Nigeria Police Force.

The proposed law will still require further constitutional procedures, including approval by the required number of state Houses of Assembly, before it can take effect.

ADVERTISE WITH US

Do you want to reach your targeted audience and expand your brand’s visibility?

Advertise with Polity Reporters to place your “message” before the right audience.

For advertising enquiries, reach us through:

Email: bandcommunications001@gmail.com

Facebook: Polity Reporters

WhatsApp: 07043810558