The Yobe State House of Assembly has approved the proposed establishment of a State Police Service alongside 25 other bills seeking amendments to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The approval followed deliberations by lawmakers on proposed constitutional alterations transmitted by the National Assembly to state legislatures for consideration and voting.
The proposed amendments require the approval of at least two-thirds of Nigeria’s state Houses of Assembly to satisfy the constitutional requirements for altering the nation’s supreme law.
Speaking on the resolutions, the Speaker of the Yobe Assembly, Chiroma Buba Mashio, said the bills were forwarded to state legislatures to enable lawmakers to consider and vote on the proposed changes in line with the constitutional amendment process.
Mashio explained that the House’s position on the establishment of state police was aimed at creating a constitutional framework that would allow state governments to operate their own police services alongside the existing Nigeria Police Force.
He described the proposal as an important component of ongoing national discussions on security sector reform, particularly efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to tackle emerging security challenges.
The proposed establishment of state police has featured prominently in national discussions on addressing insecurity, improving local intelligence gathering and enabling law enforcement agencies to respond more effectively to threats within individual states.
Supporters of the proposal have argued that state-controlled police formations could improve security operations by bringing policing closer to local communities, while concerns have also been raised about the potential for political interference and abuses of power.
The Yobe Assembly’s approval represents the position of the state legislature on the proposed constitutional alteration. The proposal must still satisfy the applicable constitutional requirements before it can become law.
The 26 bills cover proposed amendments to various provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
