UPDATED:Reps to vote on state police Thursday

Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu said the proposal has been prioritised over other amendment bills.

The House of Representatives is set to proceed to a vote on a proposed constitutional amendment to establish state and local police structures across Nigeria, aimed at strengthening responses to rising insecurity.

Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Review, Benjamin Kalu, disclosed this on Wednesday during a briefing to journalists shortly after plenary.

He said the lower chamber had resolved to give priority to the state police proposal over other constitutional amendment bills currently under consideration.

The bill seeking the establishment of state police is jointly sponsored by the Deputy Speaker and 14 other members of the House.

It is part of ongoing constitutional amendment proposals, seeking to formally introduce state and community policing structures, following growing concerns that the current centralised policing system has been unable to curb insurgency, banditry and kidnapping across the country effectively.

Mr Kalu said the proposed amendment had become imperative given the rising cases of terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes nationwide, stressing that the legislature must deploy constitutional and legislative instruments to address gaps in the country’s security framework.

Flanked by members of the Constitution Review Committee, Mr Kalu said the National Assembly could not rely solely on oversight of security agencies, but must also take active steps to strengthen the security architecture through lawmaking.

He explained that while engagement with security chiefs would continue, lawmakers had resolved to prioritise constitutional amendments aimed at tackling insecurity, with particular emphasis on the creation of state police.

“Hope is coming. By tomorrow, we will be amending the constitution by prioritising state police. We will vote on state police. Nobody is stopping it,” he said.

Mr Kalu further stated that the legislature bears a constitutional responsibility not only to oversee security agencies but also to deploy legislative tools to bridge existing gaps in the security system.

“When we say that the security of lives and property is the primary purpose of government, the legislature must also play its part. Beyond summoning service chiefs and relevant agencies, there is a need for us to deploy legislative tools to bridge the gaps in the nation’s security framework,” he said.

The deputy speaker noted that extensive consultations had been carried out on the proposal, adding that the Inspector-General of Police and his team, the executive arm of government, and all 36 state governors had indicated support for the establishment of state police.

He added that current constitutional provisions, particularly Section 214 and related sections, do not adequately support a decentralised policing structure capable of effectively addressing modern security threats.

“We have discovered that leaving the law as it is will not give us the expected results Nigerians desire. Therefore, we have prioritised constitutional amendments aimed at unbundling security-related challenges through legislation targeting state policing,” he said.

Mr Kalu dismissed suggestions that the proposal was facing resistance, insisting that the House remained united and committed to its passage.

“We are here to announce to Nigerians that hope is coming. Hope for a better response time to incidents of crime is here. By tomorrow, we will be voting on the constitutional amendment, and we are prioritising state police.

“We have read reports that some people are trying to stop it, but the Parliament is marching forward, and by tomorrow, we will be concluding on this. There is nobody stopping us from moving ahead with state police,” he said.

He expressed optimism that once the National Assembly passes the amendment, it would receive swift approval from state assemblies, citing what he described as the supportive stance of governors across the federation.

“We are hopeful that after the exercise tomorrow, the amendment will be transmitted to the states and, judging by the body language of the 36 governors who support state police, they will work with their Houses of Assembly to ensure quick ratification before it is transmitted to Mr President for assent,” he added.

The deputy speaker also urged lawmakers currently on oversight duties across the country to return to Abuja for Thursday’s plenary, describing the exercise as urgent and requiring full participation.

“We want all members to be in the chamber tomorrow to demonstrate to Nigerians that security remains a top priority on our agenda and that the House stands firmly behind the establishment of state police,” Kalu said.

Recent spikes in insecurity across Nigeria have renewed debate over the need for decentralised policing.

On Tuesday, the House summoned service chiefs and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to appear before it over the worsening security situation.

In December, President Bola Tinubu expressed support for the creation of state police, describing it as a step that could enhance national security.