289 lawmakers vote to pass State Police Bill amid chaos

By Christiana Ekpa

The House of Representatives on Thursday passed a major constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish state police across Nigeria, following a tense and rowdy session that briefly disrupted proceedings in the Green Chamber.
The sitting turned chaotic during deliberations on the constitutional amendment bills after Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, announced that lawmakers would prioritise consideration of the State Police Bill.
The decision sparked immediate objection from a member who argued that the report had not been sufficiently reviewed.
Lawmaker Zubairu Bashir Usman led the protest, insisting that the proposal required deeper scrutiny given its sensitive implications for national security.
His objection triggered heated exchanges on the floor, with lawmakers shouting across the chamber as order broke down briefly.
Tensions escalated further when the Speaker threatened disciplinary action, before calm was eventually restored and proceedings continued.
The House later proceeded to consider the constitutional amendment bills, with the State Police proposal taking centre stage during the Committee of the Whole presided over by Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, Benjamin Kalu.
Voting was conducted manually, with members indicating support by raising their hands. At the end of the exercise, 289 lawmakers voted in favour of the bill, while one abstained and none voted against it signalling overwhelming support for the reform.
The bill, titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Provide for the Establishment of State Police and for Related Matters (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026,” seeks to create a dual policing structure comprising federal and state police formations.
It also empowers state governments to establish their own police services through laws passed by State Houses of Assembly, subject to compliance with national standards set by the National Assembly.
Under the proposal, the Federal Police would retain authority nationwide until state police become operational. It further limits federal intervention in state security matters except in cases of breakdown of law and order, formal request by a governor, or operational failure of state police.
The bill also revises key provisions governing police leadership, including the appointment of the Inspector-General of Police by the President on the advice of the Nigeria Police Council, subject to Senate confirmation, and State Commissioners of Police by governors subject to state legislative approval.
With House approval secured, the bill now moves to the Senate for concurrence before being transmitted to state Houses of Assembly for ratification by at least two-thirds of the states, and eventual presidential assent.
If fully adopted, the reform would mark one of the most significant overhauls of Nigeria’s security architecture since 1999, introducing a decentralised policing system aimed at addressing rising insecurity across the country.