The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a constitutional amendment establishing state policing structure in the country.
The bill, titled ‘A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Provide for the Establishment of State Police Services and for Related Matters (HB.2797)’, was considered by the Committee of the Whole before securing the constitutionally required two-thirds majority.
President Bola Tinubu had transmitted the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) (State Police) Bill, 2026, to the House, seeking constitutional approval for the establishment of state police services across the country.
The President said the proposed legislation seeks to amend the 1999 Constitution to provide the legal framework for the creation of state police as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.
Presenting the committee’s report on the floor of the House, the Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Review, Benjamin Kalu, described the proposal as a landmark reform aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture.
He commended President Tinubu for transmitting the Executive Bill to the National Assembly, saying the move demonstrated effective collaboration between the executive and legislative arms of government.
According to Kalu, the constitutional amendment seeks to bring policing closer to the people, improve intelligence gathering, strengthen community policing, enhance coordination among security agencies and empower governments to respond more effectively to evolving security challenges.
“This bill is not merely about creating another policing institution. It is about bringing policing closer to the people, strengthening intelligence gathering, enhancing community policing, improving coordination among security agencies and empowering governments to respond more effectively to the complex and evolving security challenges confronting our nation,” he said.
He acknowledged that the proposal might not satisfy every stakeholder but stressed that constitutional reform is an incremental process.
Kalu explained that the amendment provides only the constitutional foundation for state police, while detailed implementation issues, including recruitment, training, operational standards, funding, accountability and intergovernmental coordination, would be addressed through subsequent legislation.
“We must not allow the pursuit of perfection to become the enemy of meaningful progress,” he said, urging lawmakers to support what he described as a historic reform.
During the consideration of the bill, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas read its long title before putting it to a voice vote.
Before the vote, Abbas announced that 311 members supported the bill, comprising 211 APC members, 65 lawmakers from other political parties who were physically present and 35 members who participated virtually through the House’s electronic platform.
He explained that the Constitution requires the support of at least two-thirds of the House’s membership—240 votes—for a constitutional amendment to pass.
(Ripples)