The House of Representatives has stepped back from its own proposal to establish state police, choosing instead to consider a constitutional amendment bill forwarded by the Executive.
The decision was taken during Tuesday’s plenary, where lawmakers gave the Executive-sponsored bill its first and second readings before referring it to the House Committee on Constitution Review for further legislative work.
The move effectively puts the House’s earlier state police proposal on hold as attention shifts to the version backed by the Federal Government.
The Executive bill seeks to amend the 1999 Constitution to provide a legal framework for the creation and operation of state police across the country.
It is expected to undergo detailed scrutiny at the committee stage, where lawmakers will examine its provisions and consider possible amendments before it returns to the House for further debate.
The House had previously introduced its own constitutional amendment bill as part of the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution, with state policing emerging as one of the key reforms under consideration.
The proposal was among several bills aimed at addressing growing concerns over insecurity and calls for decentralising policing in Nigeria.
However, following the transmission of a similar proposal by the Executive, lawmakers resolved to suspend work on the House-sponsored version to avoid duplication and concentrate legislative efforts on a single bill.
With the bill now before the Constitution Review Committee, stakeholders are expected to make submissions during the legislative process before the proposal returns to the House for clause-by-clause consideration and a final vote.
If passed by the National Assembly and approved by at least two-thirds of the state Houses of Assembly, the constitutional amendment would pave the way for the establishment of state police in Nigeria.
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