The Kwara State House of Assembly has approved a proposed amendment to the 1999 Constitution to provide a legal framework for establishing state police in the country.
The House 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 made available to PUNCH Online by the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Abdulkadir Yusuf, in Ilorin.
The statement read, “The Kwara State House of Assembly has approved the proposed amendment to the 1999 Constitution to provide a legal framework for the establishment of state police.
‘While leading the House debate on the amendment, House Leader, Mogaji Oba Abdulkadri, enumerated the various advantages the proposed amendment will have on the country’s policing system.
“Other lawmakers who spoke on the constitution amendment opined that the altercation will bring police closer to the people, thereby improving the security of life and property of people across the country.”
Following the deliberations, the Speaker directed the Clerk of the House, Alhaji Ahmed Olayiwola, to communicate the Assembly’s decision to the National Assembly for further action.
The approval comes amid ongoing efforts to amend the 1999 Constitution to allow states to establish their own police services alongside the existing Nigeria Police Force.
The National Assembly had earlier forwarded the proposed constitutional amendment to state legislatures for consideration.
Under Section 9(2) of the Constitution, at least 24 of the 36 state Houses of Assembly must approve a constitutional alteration before it can proceed to the next stage.
Supporters of state police argue that decentralising policing would improve intelligence gathering and enable faster responses to local security threats, including kidnapping, banditry and other violent crimes.
Kwara’s approval is a step in the constitutional amendment process and does not automatically establish an operational state police service in the state.