Breaking: Fresh Development as House of Reps Take Final Action on State Police Bill
- The House of Representatives passed the Executive Bill on state police during plenary session on Thursday, July 23
- The House withdrew its own earlier constitutional amendment proposal before adopting the Executive Bill instead
- The development follows the Nigerian Senate's earlier approval of its own version of the state police legislation
Nigeria moved closer to adopting a decentralised policing system on Thursday, July 23, after the House of Representatives passed the Executive Bill proposing the establishment of state police.
The bill was approved during a plenary session in Abuja, where lawmakers took a notable procedural turn: the House withdrew its own constitutional amendment proposal on state police and chose to back the Executive Bill in its place.
Source: Facebook
The decision to set aside the earlier legislative proposal and adopt the executive version signals a shift in how the lower chamber chose to pursue the reform, streamlining the path toward a single unified legislative output on the matter, The Cable reported.
Senate had already approved its version
The House passage came after the Nigerian Senate approved its own version of the state police bill, meaning both chambers of the National Assembly have now taken significant steps toward enshrining a dual policing structure in Nigerian law, Punch reported.
The proposed reform is aimed at decentralising security management, allowing states to independently run and fund their own police forces alongside the existing federal Nigeria Police Force. Supporters of the bill argue the change will improve emergency response times and make law enforcement more responsive to local conditions across Nigeria's 36 states.
The concurrent legislative action in both chambers brings the country closer to the kind of constitutional backing needed to make state-level policing a legal reality.
The next steps will likely involve harmonising the two versions of the bill through a conference committee before it can proceed for presidential assent.
Senate passes state police bill
Previously, Legit.ng reported that amid insecurity in Nigeria, the senate finally passed constitutional amendment bills to establish state police in Nigeria, marking a significant step in the country's ongoing security reforms.
The development came to light on Wednesday afternoon, June 24, through a post on X (formerly Twitter) by Imran Muhammad, the senior special assistant on new media to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) national chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda.
Source: Legit.ng
