Reps Begin Vote on State Police Bill Thursday

The House of Representatives will begin voting Thursday on a bill to create state police, in what lawmakers call a major response to Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.

Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, who chairs the House Committee on Constitution Review, announced this Wednesday while briefing journalists at the National Assembly.

The move comes amid rising kidnapping, terrorism, banditry, and violent crime nationwide, which have renewed calls to decentralize policing.

The bill, sponsored by Kalu and 14 other lawmakers, passed second reading on February 20, 2024. It seeks to move policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List, allowing states to establish and control their own police.

To do this, the bill proposes amendments to Sections 197, 214, 215, and others in the 1999 Constitution.

Kalu said securing lives and property is not the executive’s job alone. “When we say that security of lives and property is a primary purpose of government, it is not only the executive that the Constitution refers to. It concerns the three arms of government,” he said, citing Sections 88 and 89 of the Constitution.

He said the legislature must use its powers to tackle insecurity. “We have always referred to the House as the solution hub where hydra-headed problems of the country are presented and solutions given,” Kalu said.

“While we call on service chiefs to dialogue with us and engage the Ministers of Finance and Budget Office, there is the need for us to use legislative tools to great effect,” he added.

Kalu argued that Nigeria’s centralized policing has failed. “We have discovered that leaving the law as it is will not meet the expectations Nigerians have with regard to curing insecurity,” he said.

He said the House will prioritize reforms to improve response times and fix gaps in policing through “the legislative tool of legislation targeting policing.”

Kalu said the proposal has broad backing from the Presidency, state governors, and police leadership.

“The Speaker has asked us to address Nigerians to assure them that hope is coming. Nobody is stopping us from going ahead with state police,” he said.

“We’ve read reports that people are trying to stop it. No. The parliament is marching forward and by tomorrow we’ll be concluding on this,” Kalu said. “By tomorrow, state police will make it in our constitutional amendment. We are hoping that by the time we finish, it will go to the states.”

He said all 36 governors support state police. “They will work hand in hand with their Houses of Assembly to ensure that it is returned to Mr President for his assent as quickly as possible,” he said.

State police remains one of Nigeria’s most contentious constitutional reforms. Supporters say locally controlled police would improve intelligence, speed up response, and strengthen community policing.

Critics fear governors could use state police to harass opponents and suppress dissent, especially in states with weak institutions.

But support has grown as insecurity strains the centrally controlled Nigeria Police Force.

If the National Assembly passes the amendment and at least 24 state assemblies endorse it, it would be the biggest shift in Nigeria’s security structure since 1999.