By Hosea Parah
The House of Representatives has passed the Executive Bill which is seeking to establish state police across the country creating a significant step toward decentralising of Nigeria’s policing system for the purposes of tackling insecurity.
The House approved the Bill during yesterday’s plenary after it withdrew its earlier constitutional amendment proposal on the establishment of state police, opting to adopt the Executive Bill, transmitted by President Ahmed Tinubu.
The adoption by the House, however, erupted to a rowdy session after opposition members, led by the House Minority Leader, Hon Fredrick Agbedi, staged a walk out while the proceeding of the day’s plenary was chaired by the Speaker, Hon Tajudeen Abbas
Following the Bill’s presentation done by the Deputy Speaker, the Speaker informed that electronic voting was used , adding that 311 votes went in favour of the Bill leading to a walk out by the opposition lawmakers in the House.
In another development, Agbedi, followed by his members staged a walk out during plenary, condemning the Speaker for not following the constitutional requirement in the passage of the State Police Bil.
The Minority Leader while briefing Journalists at the press corps, who noted that the opposition members support the Bill, explained that they are only against the process the House used in adopting it.
The Minority Caucus also urged leadership of the Green Chamber to suspend the immediate adoption of the proposed constitutional amendment bill, insisting that while it fully supports the creation of state-controlled policing, the legislation requires further refinement to address critical constitutional, legal, institutional and fiscal concerns.
The caucus maintained that Nigeria’s worsening security situation demands bold reforms that strengthen community policing and deepen federalism, but cautioned that the current draft contains ambiguities, jurisdictional uncertainties, conflicting provisions and governance gaps that could undermine the effectiveness of State Police.
It, therefore, stressed that constitutional amendments establish permanent institutions and must therefore undergo the highest level of legislative scrutiny, warning that “Nigeria cannot afford to constitutionalise flawed process.
They strongly argued that “a better bill is better than a faster bill,” stressing that previous experiences with major reforms, including aspects of the Tax Reform Bills and the Electoral Act, demonstrated the dangers of rushing complex legislation without adequate consultation and technical review.
According to the caucus, taking additional time to perfect the State Police framework would help prevent future constitutional litigation, institutional conflicts and operational uncertainty.
The Minority Caucus also raised concerns over the financial implications of establishing State Police, warning that states should not inherit major policing responsibilities without corresponding fiscal support.
Opposition lawmakers therefore appealed to the Speaker and members of the House to recommit the bill for scrutiny because of limited, time-bound review involving relevant committees etc.
Meanwhile the Caucus has reaffirmed its unwavering support for State Police, insisting that its intervention was aimed solely at ensuring the legislation emerges as a constitutionally sound, accountable and financially sustainable framework capable of strengthening Nigeria’s security system.