The Benue House of Assembly on Tuesday overwhelmingly endorsed the establishment of state police, adopting all clauses of the proposed constitutional amendment without alteration.
The lawmakers considered the harmonised Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, which seeks to establish State Police Services and provide for related matters.
Leading the debate, the Majority Leader, Mr Peter Ipusu, urged the House to expedite consideration of the bill to enable the legislature to meet the deadline for the exercise.
Ipusu said the National Assembly had transmitted the harmonised constitutional amendment package to the 36 state houses of assembly on Sept. 16, 2026, for consideration and ratification.
He explained that the proposed amendment would establish state police services alongside the Nigerian Police Force, with provisions defining their responsibilities, funding and operational guidelines in line with national standards.
According to him, state police would strengthen local security through better knowledge of communities, faster responses to emergencies and improved intelligence gathering.
He added that decentralised policing would enable state governments to develop security strategies tailored to their specific challenges, including rural banditry, farmer-herder clashes and urban crime.
Ipusu said the initiative would also ease the burden on the Nigeria Police Force, allowing it to focus more on national security, border control and organised crime.
Contributing to the debate, Mr Isaac Ochekliye (PDP-Ohimini) and a former Majority Leader, Mr Thomas Dugeri (PDP-Kwande West), raised concerns about funding for the proposed state police services.
They questioned how the new security outfit would operate effectively when existing security agencies were already facing equipment and funding challenges.
Similarly, Mr Godwin Edoh (PDP-Agatu) and Mr Emmanuel Onah (LP-Oju) called for equitable distribution of personnel when the state police service becomes operational.
They stressed the need for fair deployment of personnel across the state to ensure effective security coverage.
In his remarks, the Speaker, Mr Alfred Emberga, said prospective recruits would undergo thorough background checks and screening to ensure that only persons of impeccable character were enlisted.
He added that the head of the proposed state police service would also be subject to screening by the House.
