Kaduna, Yobe Assemblies Join Others To Endorse State Police

The Kaduna State and Yobe State Houses of Assembly have joined 14 other states to approve the proposed establishment of a State Police Service as part of their consideration of bills seeking to amend the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

States named as having approved the state police bill are: Anambra, Benue, Delta, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ogun, Osun, Plateau, Rivers, Oyo, Taraba, Cross River and Zamfara.
In Kaduna, the bill, titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 to Provide for the Establishment of State Police Services and for Related Matters, 2006”, was transmitted to the House by the National Assembly for concurrence.

It was approved during Thursday’s plenary presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Henry Magaji Dajuma.

Speaking to journalists shortly after the plenary, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Hon. Henry Marah, who represents Jaba State Constituency, said the House supported the proposed establishment of State police.

Marah said the proposed system would strengthen community security, improve the protection of lives and property, and create employment opportunities for youths.

He said the existing security structure limited state governments’ ability to hold police authorities directly accountable for security failures.

The approval followed deliberations by lawmakers during plenary on the proposed constitutional amendment bills transmitted by the National Assembly to state legislatures for consideration and voting.

Speaking on the resolutions, the Speaker of the House, Alhaji Chiroma Buba Mashio, said the bills were forwarded to state legislatures to enable them to consider and vote on the proposed amendments in line with constitutional requirements.

Mashio explained that the House’s position on State Police aimed to provide a constitutional framework for states to establish their own police services alongside the existing Nigeria Police Force.

He said the proposal formed part of ongoing national discussions on security sector reform, particularly efforts to strengthen the country’s capacity to address emerging security challenges.

The proposed constitutional amendments comprise 26 bills seeking to amend various provisions of the 1999 Constitution.

Under the constitutional amendment process, proposed alterations require the approval of at least two-thirds of the state Houses of Assembly to meet the relevant legislative requirement.

The Yobe Assembly’s approval represents the state’s position on the proposal, while its implementation would depend on the completion of the constitutionally prescribed amendment process.