JUST IN: N’Assembly to transmit state police bill to Tinubu today

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu.

The State Police Bill, which seeks to decentralise policing functions between the Federal and state governments, will be transmitted to President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday (today) for assent.

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, disclosed this on Wednesday while presiding over plenary, following the approval of the constitutional amendment proposal by 29 of the 36 state Houses of Assembly.

Kalu expressed excitement over the endorsement of the proposed police reform by more than two-thirds of the state legislatures, describing the development as a major step towards the establishment of state police in the country.

“The State Police Bill has received the backing of 29 State Assemblies. Later today, the Clerk to the National Assembly will transmit it to the President for assent,” he said.

The approval by the state assemblies marks a significant milestone in the push for constitutional amendment to allow states to establish and manage their own police forces alongside the Nigeria Police Force.

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The proposal is aimed at addressing longstanding concerns over the centralised policing structure, which critics have argued limits the capacity of security agencies to respond effectively to local security challenges.

The proposed reform is expected to give state governments greater responsibility for policing within their jurisdictions, while the Federal Government retains its own police structure.

The transmission of the bill to the President for assent is the next stage in the constitutional amendment process, following the required legislative approvals by the National Assembly and the state assemblies.

More to come…

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