Nigerian House of Representatives approves state police bill amidst minority caucus walkout
via Punch Nigeria7 min read
The Nigerian House of Representatives on Thursday approved a Constitution Alteration Bill to establish State Police across Nigeria. The bill, transmitted by President Bola Tinubu, aims to decentralize policing and enhance security. Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, Chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Review, presented the report, highlighting the proposal as a significant constitutional reform to bring policing closer to the people, improve intelligence gathering, and strengthen community policing. However, the approval was met with a walkout by members of the minority caucus, who protested the voting procedure. The Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, put the bill to a voice vote without a clause-by-clause consideration, which is customary for constitutional amendment bills. Minority Leader Frederick Agbedi and minority caucus spokesman Afam Ogene argued that the process breached parliamentary procedure and constitutional requirements, despite their support for the principle of state police. They raised concerns about the method used to determine the number of members present and the lack of opportunity to scrutinize individual clauses or move amendments. The minority caucus also highlighted financial concerns, recommending that 15 percent of the Federation Account allocation to the Federal Government be transferred to states to fund policing responsibilities. They urged the Speaker to recommit the bill for further technical review involving various stakeholders to address const
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Punch Nigeria.
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