Senate passes bill establishing state police in Nigeria

The Nigerian Senate has approved constitutional changes that will allow states to create their own police forces.

The bill was passed on Wednesday after senators reviewed each part of the proposed amendment during plenary, which was led by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

The 25 clause bill sets rules for creating State Police Services while adding protections to stop governors and other political leaders from using state police to target opponents or silence critics.

Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele said the proposed law was designed to address concerns that state police could be abused for political reasons.

The amendment will replace the current system, which only recognizes the Nigeria Police Force, with a two level structure. It will create a Federal Police Service and allow any state to establish its own police service if its House of Assembly approves the move.

The Senate used manual voting to pass the bill after its electronic voting system developed technical problems. Senators had to stand, give their names, and openly state whether they supported the proposal.

President Bola Tinubu had earlier sent the constitutional amendment bill to the Senate as part of efforts to improve security across the country.

The proposal aims to give states more power to protect their communities and take a bigger role in security matters.

For the changes to become law, at least 24 of Nigeria’s 36 state assemblies must also approve the amendment.