By Fatima Saka
Abuja, Nigeria— The House of Representatives is set to take a decisive step toward establishing state police, as Deputy Speaker Benjamin Okezie Kalu has assured Nigerians that a constitutional amendment enabling the framework will be put to vote on Thursday.
Speaking to parliamentary correspondents after Wednesday’s plenary, Kalu described the move as a critical legislative response to Nigeria’s worsening security challenges, emphasizing that safeguarding lives and property is a collective responsibility of all three arms of government.
He noted that lawmakers had reached a consensus that the current legal framework, particularly Section 214 of the 1999 Constitution, is inadequate to address the country’s security realities, as it centralises policing at the federal level.
According to Kalu, the proposed amendment aims to “unbundle” security response mechanisms and improve response times to criminal incidents across the country.
“We have discovered that leaving the law as it is will not meet the expectations Nigerians have placed on government in tackling insecurity,” he said. “There is a need to deploy legislative tools to close the gaps in our security architecture.”
The Deputy Speaker revealed that the proposed state policing structure has already secured broad support from key stakeholders, including the executive arm of government, the Inspector-General of Police, and state governors.
Flanked by caucus leaders from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Kalu expressed confidence that the amendment would pass and receive swift approval at the state level.
“National consensus has been reached. The governors have shown clear support, and we believe state assemblies will act quickly once the bill is transmitted,” he said.
Kalu also dismissed speculations that efforts were being made to frustrate the process, insisting that the National Assembly remains committed to delivering on the reform.
“The Parliament is marching forward. By tomorrow, we will conclude this process and demonstrate to Nigerians that security remains our top priority,” he stated.
He further called on lawmakers currently engaged in oversight functions nationwide to return to Abuja ahead of the vote, describing the exercise as an “emergency national assignment.”
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If passed by the National Assembly, the constitutional amendment will be forwarded to state houses of assembly for ratification before being transmitted to the President for assent.
The move marks one of the most significant efforts in recent years to decentralise Nigeria’s policing system, amid growing calls for localised security solutions to combat rising insecurity across the country. :::
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