The House of Representatives has passed the State Police Bill, marking a major legislative push toward restructuring Nigeria’s policing system through decentralisation.
The bill was approved on Thursday after a plenary vote in which 289 lawmakers supported it, one voted against, while Speaker Tajudeen Abbas abstained. The session was held against the backdrop of worsening insecurity across the country, including rising cases of killings, kidnappings and bandit attacks.
However, the sitting was not without controversy. During deliberations, Kaduna lawmaker Bashir Zubairu of the African Democratic Congress raised a point of order, complaining that the report from the House Committee on Constitution Review was only made available to members on the day of the plenary.
“Mr Speaker, this document was only made available to lawmakers in the chambers, and we are yet to go through it. We cannot do justice to it because we have not gone through it,” he said.
Despite the objection, Speaker Abbas ruled the point of order out of order and proceeded with clause-by-clause consideration of the bill. The chamber witnessed repeated interruptions as some lawmakers attempted to raise concerns, but proceedings continued.
Before the vote, the Speaker also disclosed that the electronic voting system was faulty, so the exercise was conducted manually based on the number of members present. Out of 290 lawmakers in attendance, 289 voted in favour of the bill.
The passage of the State Police Bill is seen as a significant step toward addressing Nigeria’s security challenges and reforming its policing architecture. Further details on implementation are expected as the bill advances through the legislative process.
