The House of Representatives on Thursday passed the State Police Establishment Bill after 311 lawmakers voted in support of the proposed constitutional amendment during plenary.
Of the total votes, 276 lawmakers voted physically while 35 participated virtually, giving the bill the required two-thirds majority in the House. The legislation seeks to decentralize policing by moving police matters from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List, allowing states to establish and operate their own police forces alongside the Nigeria Police Force.
Presiding over the Committee of the Whole, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas announced the outcome of the vote after reading the names of members who supported the bill.
According to Abbas, the bill is expected to address Nigeria’s growing security challenges, strengthen public safety, and deepen the country’s federal system.
Earlier, Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Review, Benjamin Kalu, said the proposed legislation would improve community policing and provide a stronger constitutional framework for effective security administration across the country.
Kalu expressed confidence that the bill would enhance governance by enabling states to respond more effectively to local security concerns.
However, the Minority Leader, Fred Agbedi, criticized the manner in which the bill was passed, arguing that the process violated Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution.
Agbedi said the constitutional amendment should have been considered clause by clause rather than through what he described as a hasty process.
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He maintained that although the minority caucus supports the creation of state police, it opposed the procedure adopted for the bill’s passage.
“The minority is not against the creation of state police, but we are against the hasty process,” Agbedi said, describing the approach as an abuse of due process and a departure from democratic principles.
Also speaking, Chairman of the Minority Caucus, Afam Ogene, argued that constitutional amendments require full compliance with the procedures outlined in Section 9(2) of the Constitution. He said the passage of the bill disregarded established legislative rules and constitutional provisions.
The State Police Establishment Bill is a landmark constitutional amendment that seeks to create a dual policing system by allowing both the Federal Government and state governments to maintain separate police forces.
Under the proposed framework, state governments would be empowered to establish, fund, and manage their own police organizations while the Nigeria Police Force continues to operate at the federal level.
The bill also provides that state governors would appoint state police commissioners, subject to confirmation by their respective State Houses of Assembly and clearance by the National Police Council.
In addition, it expands the National Police Council and requires every state to establish a State Police Service Commission responsible for the recruitment, promotion, and discipline of state police personnel.
Under Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution, any constitutional amendment must be approved by a two-thirds majority in both chambers of the National Assembly and subsequently ratified by at least two-thirds of the 36 State Houses of Assembly before it can become law.
