The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly has approved the proposed constitutional amendment for the establishment of state police services in Nigeria.
The approval followed the consideration of the report of the House Committee on Inter-Governmental, Political and Special Matters during plenary on Wednesday.
Presenting the report, Emem Udom, the committee chairman and member representing Ukanafun State Constituency said the committee recommended the approval of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, which seeks to provide a constitutional framework for the establishment and operation of state police services.
The committee recommended that the bill be approved as transmitted, without amendment, following its examination of the provisions and implications for the administration, funding, oversight and operations of state police.
Udom explained that the proposed amendment would empower states to establish their own police services, while retaining the Federal Police Service and its responsibilities for policing matters within the federal jurisdiction.
He added that the proposed arrangement would encourage cooperation between federal and state police authorities through information sharing and mutual assistance, while maintaining their respective constitutional responsibilities.
According to the committee, the establishment of state police services is expected to improve security response, strengthen crime prevention and enhance community engagement in addressing security challenges.
The report further noted that decentralising policing would bring security services closer to the people, facilitate quicker responses to emerging threats and strengthen intelligence gathering through the use of local knowledge.
It also identified employment generation, particularly for the country’s teeming youths, as one of the anticipated benefits of establishing state police services.
Following the consideration and approval of the report, Udeme Otong, the Speaker of the House, who presided over the plenary, directed Nsikak Abasi Orok, the Clerk of the Assembly to forward the House’s resolution to the National Assembly for further legislative action.
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