Following the withdrawal of a House of Representatives’ constitutional amendment bill seeking the creation of state police, lawmakers are now considering an Executive-sponsored proposal, transmitted by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as they align ongoing efforts toward reforming the policing structure in Nigeria.
The move represents a notable change of gear in the National Assembly’s stance on one of the most vexatious constitutional matters in the country as both legislative chambers agreed to adopt the Executive proposal as the principal framework for discussions on the establishment of state police.
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The development came on the heels of the formal presentation of President Tinubu’s proposal to the House, with members acknowledging the merits of a single legislative route which would obviate duplication in the legislative processing of proposed changes to the Constitution.
The Executive proposal is anticipated to address salient issues surrounding the creation, funding, control and operation of state police outfits as well as safety measures aimed at curbing political hijack of state security organs while maintaining robust cooperation with federal police structures.
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Those canvassing the idea of state police maintain that Nigeria’s policing architecture has been overly centralised and stretched thin to address pervasive security challenges such as kidnapping, banditry, communal violence and terrorism in local communities.
Proponents of the bill are, however, keenly aware that state governments might leverage the operational powers and autonomy that would be granted state police formations for political ends. These anxieties have, in years past, occupied the better part of deliberations on the matter.
Having withdrawn its bill in favor of the Executive proposal, the House has, by this action, indicated readiness for a cohesive legislative procedure that will culminate in an acceptable constitutional template.
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The Executive bill would, thereafter, go through the usual legislative procedures, including committee stages, stakeholder engagements and public hearings before the National Assembly could finally consider the passage of a constitutional amendment.
The current action by the House is one of the several strides the Tinubu administration has taken in its holistic approach to internal security reform, addressing longstanding demands for a constitutionally anchored and decentralized policing system.
