Senate Passes Landmark State Police Bill in Major Constitutional Reform

Senate Passes Landmark State Police Bill in Major Constitutional Reform

The Senate on Wednesday passed a constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish state police, marking a significant step in Nigeria's long-running efforts to decentralise policing and strengthen internal security.

The approval followed the consideration of the proposed amendment during plenary after lawmakers adopted a manual voting process due to a technical malfunction in the Senate's electronic voting system.

Before the vote, senators resolved that each member would individually stand, announce their name and publicly state their position on the bill to ensure transparency and prevent any lawmaker from being disenfranchised by the faulty electronic device.

The motion to adopt manual voting was moved by Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, and received the support of the chamber.

The passage of the bill represents one of the most consequential constitutional reforms in recent years, although the proposal must still secure the required approvals in the constitutional amendment process before the establishment of state police can take effect.