The House of Representatives has passed the State Police Bill, marking a significant step in ongoing efforts to reform Nigeria’s security framework and address growing insecurity across the country.
The bill was approved during Thursday’s plenary session presided over by the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas.
According to Abbas, 288 lawmakers voted in favour of the proposal, while four members voted against it. The decision came a day after members of the House devoted their sitting to debating the merits and implications of the bill.
Lawmakers conducted the vote through a show of hands after the Speaker explained that the electronic voting system was not operational.
The proposed legislation seeks to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture by creating an additional layer of policing at the state level. It also outlines constitutional safeguards, operational guidelines, oversight structures, and a clear division of responsibilities between federal and state policing authorities.
Before the vote, the House released the final draft of several Constitution Alteration Bills, including the proposal aimed at providing a constitutional foundation for the establishment of state police.
In a statement, House spokesperson Akintunde Rotimi said the bills represent the outcome of months of extensive legislative work carried out by the House Committee on Constitution Review.
According to the statement, the committee reviewed numerous constitutional amendment proposals submitted by lawmakers, government agencies, professional associations, civil society groups, traditional institutions, and members of the public.
The process also included broad stakeholder consultations through zonal and national public hearings, expert sessions, town hall meetings, and engagement forums held across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones to ensure widespread public participation.
The passage of the bill comes amid increasing concerns over insecurity, including banditry, kidnapping, terrorism, and violent crimes affecting several parts of the country.
Supporters of state police argue that decentralising policing powers could improve intelligence gathering, response times, and local security management, while critics have raised concerns about possible abuse by state governments.
Meanwhile, the Senate of Nigeria has already passed the State Police Bill through second reading.
However, the upper chamber deferred further debate and referred the proposal to the Senate Committee on Constitutional Review for additional consideration.
Speaking during plenary, Senate President Godswill Akpabio said lawmakers would vote on the bill during a subsequent sitting as deliberations continue.
If eventually approved by both chambers and incorporated into the Constitution, the legislation could mark one of the most significant changes to Nigeria’s policing structure since the return to democratic rule.
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