Blessing Bello, Reporting
NIGERIA’S House of Representatives has passed a bill to establish state police forces across the federation, with 288 lawmakers voting in favour and just four opposing the landmark legislation.
The vote took place during plenary on Thursday, presided over by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, a day after the chamber dedicated its entire session to debating the contentious bill.
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Due to the electronic voting system being non-functional, members voted by a show of hands.
The bill, which seeks to amend the constitution to allow each of Nigeria’s 36 states to operate its own police service, now moves to the Senate for concurrence.
At present, policing in Nigeria is exclusively controlled by the federal government through the Nigeria Police Force.
Meanwhile, the Senate has passed the bill through a second reading but deferred further debate to the Senate Committee on Constitutional Review.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio told colleagues that a full vote on the legislation would be scheduled during their next sitting.
Proponents of the reform argue that state policing would improve local security and help tackle banditry, kidnapping, and communal violence, which federal forces have struggled to contain.
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Critics, however, have raised concerns about potential abuse by state governors and ethnic marginalisation.
The bill’s passage in the lower chamber marks a significant step toward devolving police powers, a proposal that has been debated for decades but gained renewed momentum following a surge in insecurity across multiple states.
Neither chamber has set a date for final passage. If approved by the Senate and signed into law, a constitutional amendment would also require ratification by at least two-thirds of Nigeria’s 36 state houses of assembly.
