Reps pass state police bill with 289 votes

From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

The House of Representatives, yesterday, altered the 1999 Constitution to create a framework for the establishment of state police.

A total of 289 members voted in favour of the state police bill, which decentralises policing and empowers state governments to set up their own police force.

The speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, said the House, through the passage of the state police bill, had taken a decisive constitutional step towards creating a policing framework that is more responsive to local realities, while remaining firmly anchored within the unity and sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The Deputy Speaker and chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Review, Benjamin Kalu, while presenting the report on the bill, said state police had become a national imperative in view of the security challenges in the country.

Kalu noted that the proposal for state police had undergone a public hearing and enjoyed broad support across the country. According to him, there is a national consensus that state police would improve response time. “We should make this constitution review a legacy,” he added.

Shortly before the commencement of voting, Abbas explained that members would be counted manually because the electronic voting system was not functional.

Specifically, the proposed legislation altered Section 214 of the 1999 Constitution to formally establish the Federal Police and State Police.

The proposal empowers the President to appoint the≠≠ Inspector-General of Police, on the advice of the Nigeria Police Council from among serving members of the Federal Police, subject to confirmation by the National Assembly.

Similarly, a State Commissioner of Police would be appointed by a governor on the advice of the Nigeria Police Council from among serving officers of the State Police, subject to confirmation by the respective State House of Assembly.

The bill empowers governors to issue lawful directives to State Commissioners of Police on matters relating to public safety and the maintenance of law and order.

The proposal also amends Section 84 of the Constitution by replacing references to the “National Police Council and the Federal Police Service Commission” with the “Nigeria Police Council and the Police Service Commission.”