The National Assembly has transmitted the constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish state police to President Bola Tinubu for assent, following its approval by 30 of the 36 State Houses of Assembly.
The development was announced during Wednesday’s plenary after Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, read a notice from the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, confirming that the bill had secured the required support from state legislatures.
According to the notice, the National Assembly had received approval from 29 state assemblies as of the close of business on Tuesday, November 3, prompting its leadership to direct the Clerk to transmit the bill to the President on Wednesday, November 4.
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However, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele subsequently announced that 30 state assemblies had approved the proposed amendment.
List of states that have approved the state police bill
The approving states are Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.
Bamidele explained that the 30 approvals exceeded the constitutional requirement of two-thirds of the 36 state assemblies, equivalent to 24 states, under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution.
He said the constitutional amendment process involved three stages: passage by the National Assembly, approval by at least two-thirds of the state legislatures and presidential assent.
According to him, the requirement ensures that constitutional alterations enjoy sufficient support across the different levels of government.
The Senate Leader described the development as a positive step for Nigeria’s democracy.
Similarly, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, announced during Wednesday’s plenary that the bill would be forwarded to Tinubu for assent.
Kalu expressed satisfaction with the endorsement secured from the state legislatures, describing it as a major milestone in efforts to establish state police in Nigeria.
The proposed amendment seeks to provide a constitutional framework for states to establish and manage their own police services alongside the existing Nigeria Police Force.
Its passage would mark a major shift from Nigeria’s centralised policing structure, amid persistent security challenges, including banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and communal violence.
Presidential assent is the remaining stage in the constitutional amendment process.
Source: SolaceBase. SolaceBase +1
