Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed for second reading, a Bill seeking to amend the 1999 Constitution to allow for the establishment of state police.
The Bill, which was sponsored by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu and 14 other members, was passed and referred to the House Committee on Constitution Review.
But there was fear among some members that some governors may weaponise state police to coerce and victimise their opponents.
Leading a debate on the Bill, Tolani Shagaya (APC, Kwara) said it would bring back the essence of true federalism and put the states in a vantage position to address matters bordering on insecurity.
The lawmaker noted that state police would be better placed and prepared to tackle insecurity in various communities and fight crimes accordingly.
He said state police currently exist in many parts of the country in different forms such as Amotekun and Neighbourhood Watch.
According to him, the Bill seeks to give legal backing and allow such community security outfits to operate legally.
Shagaya said the nation’s collective security has been greatly challenged, adding that state policing is not only inevitable but urgently necessary to tackle the mounting insecurity in the land.
The lawmaker described the establishment of state police as a necessity for a tailored, community-centric policing system and an acknowledgment that the states are uniquely positioned to address the security challenges within their boundaries.
He listed some of the key innovations of the proposed legislation to include “the transfer of “Police” from the “Exclusive Legislative List” to the “Concurrent Legislative List”, a move that effectively empowers states to have controlled policing and the introduction of a comprehensive framework to ensure cohesion as well as accountability and uniform standards between the Federal Police and State Police.
