The House of Representatives has passed the State Police Bill following a vote on the proposed constitutional amendment aimed at establishing state-level policing structures in Nigeria.
The bill was passed during Thursday’s plenary after 289 lawmakers voted in support, while four members opposed the proposal. A total of 290 lawmakers were present during the legislative session.
The move marks a major step in ongoing efforts to reform Nigeria’s security architecture amid increasing concerns over insecurity, including kidnapping, banditry, and violent crimes across the country.
The proposal seeks to allow the creation of state police systems, giving states greater responsibility in addressing security challenges within their jurisdictions.
Before the voting process began, a Kaduna lawmaker, Bashir Zubairu, raised concerns that lawmakers received the document prepared by the House Committee on Constitution Review only on Thursday afternoon and had insufficient time to study it.
He argued that members needed more time to properly examine the contents of the proposed amendment before making a decision.
However, his objection was overruled, and the legislative process continued.
The Speaker of the House guided members through the clauses of the bill before the voting exercise commenced.
The electronic voting system was reportedly unavailable, leading the House to conduct the exercise manually based on members’ attendance.
The passage of the bill by the House represents a significant development in the push for state police, which has been proposed as part of broader security reforms in Nigeria.
The bill will proceed through the next stages of the constitutional amendment process before it can become law.
