The House of Representatives has passed a bill seeking to establish State Police through to Second Reading.
The Constitution Amendment bill was sponsored by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Benjamin Kalu.
It proposes to transfer the term “police” in the 1999 constitution from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent legislative list by amending sections 34, 35, 39, 42, 84, 89, 129 153, 197, 214, 215 and 216.
Majority of the lawmakers who contributed to the general principles of the bill expressed support and hope that it would address rising cases of insecurity across the country.
They argued that the possibility of state police becoming a political tool in the hands of state governor and therefore being abused should not be the major consideration at this time, but the safety and security of Nigerian lives and property.
Last week Monday, Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) reiterated their earlier call for state policing as the solution to the country’s worsening insecurity.
Also last week, President Bola Tinubu and the 36 state governors, in a meeting held at the State House, considered the idea of the creation of state police as solution to kidnapping and banditry across the country.
The National Assembly has tried unsuccessfully to pass the bill beyond the amendment phase on many occasions with antagonists and critics always pointing to the possibility of abuse by state governors.
