By Prosper OKOYE, Abuja
Nigeria’s House of Representatives is set to vote on Thursday on a constitutional amendment seeking to establish state police, marking one of the country’s most consequential security reform efforts in decades.
The vote comes as pressure mounts on authorities to respond to persistent insecurity, ranging from bandit attacks and kidnappings to communal violence across several regions.
Deputy Speaker of the House, Benjamin Kalu, who also chairs the House Committee on Constitution Review, said lawmakers had prioritized security-related amendments and were moving to conclude legislative action on decentralized policing.
“When we say that the security of lives and property is the primary purpose of government, the legislature must also play its part,” Kalu told journalists in Abuja.
Nigeria currently operates a centralized policing system under the Constitution, with the Nigeria Police Force controlled at the federal level.
Supporters of state police argue that localized policing would improve intelligence gathering, shorten response times, and strengthen internal security, while critics have warned that governors could abuse state-controlled police structures without strong constitutional safeguards.
The renewed legislative push follows consultations involving the Presidency, National Assembly leadership, and security agencies on the framework for implementation.
Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, said last week that discussions had advanced significantly and were now focused on the constitutional changes required to create the new policing structure.
Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele also said the National Assembly had decided to fast-track the proposal and separate it from broader constitutional amendment deliberations to accelerate passage.
If approved by the National Assembly, the amendment would be transmitted to the 36 state Houses of Assembly, where at least two-thirds must endorse it before it can be sent to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
The proposal represents one of the most ambitious attempts to reshape Nigeria’s security architecture since the return to democratic rule in 1999.
