The House of Representatives has passed the State Police Bill, marking a significant step toward the decentralisation of Nigeria’s policing structure and a potential overhaul of the country’s security architecture.
The bill secured overwhelming support during Thursday’s plenary session presided over by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, with 289 lawmakers voting in favour of the proposal.
The development follows growing national concerns over persistent insecurity, including rising incidents of killings, kidnappings and banditry across various parts of the country.
Lawmakers had earlier resolved to dedicate Thursday’s sitting to deliberations and voting on the State Police Bill as part of broader efforts to address mounting security challenges.
Debate Sparks Tension on House Floor
Proceedings were briefly disrupted when a member representing Kaduna State, Bashir Zubairu, raised concerns about the timing of the document distributed to lawmakers.
Invoking a point of order, Zubairu argued that members had insufficient time to review the report prepared by the House Committee on Constitution Review before voting.
“Mr Speaker, this document was only made available to lawmakers in the chambers, and we are yet to go through it. We cannot do justice to it because we have not gone through it,” he said.
However, the Speaker ruled him out of order, allowing deliberations on the bill to continue.
As lawmakers reviewed the various clauses of the proposal, several members could be heard raising points of order, though the proceedings moved forward without interruption.
Overwhelming Support for State Police
Before voting commenced, Speaker Abbas informed lawmakers that the chamber’s electronic voting system was not functioning, necessitating a manual voting process based on attendance records.
Of the 290 lawmakers present during the session, 289 voted in support of the State Police Bill, while only one lawmaker voted against it.
The Speaker abstained from voting.
The outcome represents one of the strongest showings of legislative support for a major constitutional reform proposal in recent years and signals growing momentum behind efforts to establish state-controlled policing structures across Nigeria.
Push for Decentralised Security Gains Momentum
Supporters of state policing have long argued that decentralising law enforcement would improve intelligence gathering, enhance community policing and enable faster responses to security threats at the local level.
The passage of the bill by the House comes amid increasing calls for reforms to Nigeria’s security framework as authorities grapple with banditry, kidnapping, violent crime and other security concerns affecting communities nationwide.
With the House’s approval secured, the proposal advances further in the constitutional amendment process, bringing Nigeria closer to a potentially historic transformation of its policing system.
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