The House of Representatives has passed a bill seeking to amend the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to provide for the establishment of state police.

The constitutional amendment bill scaled through during Thursday’s plenary session after lawmakers considered the committee report on the proposed alteration.

Presiding over the session, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, announced that the bill had been approved, stating: “We have submitted a report to the bill for an act to alter the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, to provide for the establishment of state police… and in so doing, approve the bill.”

The bill received overwhelming support, recording 289 ayes, 1 nay, and a total of 290 votes.

The passage marks a major legislative milestone in efforts to restructure Nigeria’s security architecture by allowing states to establish their own police forces following recent rise in insecurity nationwide.

Details later…