The National Assembly of Nigeria is set to transmit the State Police Bill to President Bola Tinubu for assent, following the endorsement of 29 state Houses of Assembly. This development marks a significant breakthrough in the country's efforts to establish state police. Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, made the announcement during a plenary session.
The State Police Bill has garnered the support of more than the required two-thirds of Nigeria's 36 state legislatures. According to Kalu, the constitutional amendment proposal has received the backing of 29 State Assemblies. This fulfils the constitutional requirement for the approval of constitutional amendments by at least two-thirds of the state legislatures.
The proposed amendment seeks to empower state governments to establish and operate their own police forces alongside the existing Nigeria Police Force. Proponents of the reform argue that allowing states to control policing within their territories would improve security coordination, strengthen intelligence gathering, and enable faster responses to local threats.
Nigeria has faced persistent security challenges, including banditry, kidnapping, terrorism, and communal violence. Critics have frequently questioned the effectiveness of the country's centralised policing arrangement in addressing threats across its diverse regions. The proposed framework would see state governments assume greater responsibility for maintaining law and order within their jurisdictions.
Under the proposed framework, the Federal Government would retain its own police structure, while state governments would have greater autonomy in policing. The transmission of the bill to Tinubu marks the next stage in the process, bringing the proposed reform closer to implementation.
The development represents a major step towards restructuring Nigeria's policing system, which has remained largely centralised under the Federal Government. If assented to, the bill would enable state governments to establish and operate their own police forces, addressing some of the country's security challenges.
The Clerk to the National Assembly will transmit the bill to President Tinubu later today. The President's assent would pave the way for the implementation of the State Police Bill, which aims to improve security coordination and response to local threats across Nigeria.
Key points
- The National Assembly will transmit the State Police Bill to President Bola Tinubu for assent after 29 state Houses of Assembly endorsed the proposal.
- The proposed amendment seeks to empower state governments to establish and operate their own police forces alongside the existing Nigeria Police Force.
- The bill's implementation aims to improve security coordination, strengthen intelligence gathering, and enable faster responses to local threats across Nigeria.
