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The Kwara State House of Assembly has approved a proposed amendment to the 1999 Constitution to provide a legal framework for the establishment of state police in Nigeria.
The lawmakers approved the amendment during Tuesday’s plenary after the Speaker, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, read a letter from the Clerk of the National Assembly on the proposed constitutional alteration.
The development was contained in a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Abdulkadir Yusuf, in Ilorin, the state capital.
The statement said the proposed amendment was intended to provide the constitutional backing required for states to establish their own police services alongside the existing Nigeria Police Force.
Lawmakers highlight security benefits
Leading the debate on the amendment, the House Leader, Mogaji Oba Abdulkadri, outlined the potential benefits of the proposed reform to Nigeria’s policing system.
Other lawmakers who contributed to the debate said the amendment would bring policing closer to the people and improve the protection of lives and property across the country.
Supporters of state police have argued that decentralising the policing system could improve intelligence gathering, strengthen responses to local security threats and enable law enforcement agencies to address challenges peculiar to individual states.
The proposed arrangement is expected to provide states with a greater role in tackling security threats, including kidnapping, banditry and other violent crimes, while complementing existing federal security operations.
Clerk directed to communicate approval
Following deliberations, the Speaker directed the Clerk of the House, Alhaji Ahmed Olayiwola, to communicate the Assembly’s decision to the National Assembly for further legislative action.
The approval forms part of the ongoing constitutional amendment process initiated by the National Assembly, which forwarded the proposed alteration to state legislatures for consideration.
Under Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution, a constitutional amendment requires approval by at least two-thirds of the 36 state Houses of Assembly, equivalent to 24 legislatures, before it can proceed to the next stage.
Kwara’s approval therefore represents one step in the process of securing the necessary state legislative backing for the proposed reform.
Approval does not establish state police yet
The approval by the Kwara Assembly does not automatically establish an operational state police service in the state.
The proposed constitutional amendment must pass through the required legislative procedures before the legal framework for establishing state police can take effect.
The development comes amid ongoing national discussions on restructuring Nigeria’s policing system to address persistent security challenges and improve law enforcement across the federation.
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