The House of Representatives will on Thursday commence voting on a constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish state police, in what lawmakers describe as a major legislative response to Nigeria’s worsening security crisis.

The Deputy Speaker of the House and Chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Review, Benjamin Kalu, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing journalists at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.

The move comes against the backdrop of rising incidents of kidnapping, terrorism, banditry and other violent crimes across several parts of the country, fueling renewed calls for the decentralisation of the nation’s policing architecture.

The bill, sponsored by Kalu and 14 other lawmakers, passed second reading on February 20, 2024.

It seeks to transfer policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List, thereby empowering states to establish and control their own police formations.

To achieve this, the proposed legislation seeks amendments to Sections 197, 214 and 215, among others, of the 1999 Constitution.

Explaining the rationale behind the move, Kalu said the responsibility of securing lives and property is not the exclusive preserve of the executive arm of government.

“When we say that security of lives and property is a primary purpose of government, it is not only the executive that a particular section of the Constitution refers to? It concerns the three arms of government. While we call on them to order as a parliament and as allowed by Sections 88 and 89 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the question is how do we do our part regarding the expectation of 88 and 89 as it concerns legislative functions?” he said.

According to him, the legislature must deploy its constitutional powers to address the country’s security challenges.

“We have always referred to the parliament, the House of Representatives, as the solution hub where hydra-headed problems of the country are presented and solutions given to them.

“While we call on service chiefs to come and meet with us to dialogue and the Ministers of Finance and Budget Office, there is the need for us to use legislative tools to great effect,” he added.

Kalu argued that the country’s centralised policing structure has not delivered the desired results in tackling insecurity.

“We have discovered that leaving the law as it is will not give us the expectation that all Nigerians have placed in the expectation basket with regard to curing the issue of insecurity,” he stated.

He said the House had resolved to prioritise reforms aimed at improving security response times and addressing gaps in the current policing system.

According to him, this would be achieved “through the legislative tool of legislation targeting policing.”

The Deputy Speaker further disclosed that the proposal has received significant support from key stakeholders, including the Presidency, state governors and the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force.

He said, “The Speaker has asked us to come and address Nigerians to assure them that hope is coming and there is nobody stopping us from going ahead with state police.

“We’ve read a lot of things in the news that people are trying to stop it. No, the parliament is marching forward and by tomorrow, we’ll be concluding on this.

“By tomorrow, state police will make it in our constitutional amendment. We are hoping that by the time we finish it tomorrow, it will be going to the States.

“We have seen the body language of the governors of these 36 states, and they are in support of state police.

“They will work hand in hand with their Houses of Assembly to ensure that it is returned to Mr President for his assent as quickly as possible.”

The push for state police has remained one of the most contentious constitutional reform issues in Nigeria’s democratic history. Proponents argue that locally controlled police forces would improve intelligence gathering, enhance response to crimes and strengthen community policing.

However, critics have expressed concerns that state governors could misuse such police formations to harass political opponents and suppress dissent, particularly in states with weak democratic institutions.

Despite these concerns, support for state police has gained momentum in recent years as security challenges continue to stretch the capacity of the centrally controlled Nigeria Police Force.

If approved by the National Assembly and subsequently endorsed by at least 24 state Houses of Assembly, the amendment would represent one of the most significant changes to Nigeria’s security framework since the return to democratic rule in 1999.