BREAKING: REPS GIVE APPROVAL TO STATE POLICE BILL

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By: Tajudeen Aminat

The House of Representatives has passed the State Police Bill, a significant move toward decentralising policing and strengthening security governance across Nigeria.

The bill received overwhelming support during Thursday’s plenary session presided over by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, with 289 lawmakers voting in favour and only one opposing the proposal.

The lower chamber devoted the day’s sitting to deliberations on the legislation amid growing concerns over insecurity, including kidnappings, killings, and banditry in several parts of the country.

Proceedings briefly turned contentious when Kaduna lawmaker Bashir Zubairu raised a point of order, arguing that members had only just received the report of the House Committee on Constitution Review and lacked sufficient time to study its contents.

“Mr Speaker, this document was only made available to lawmakers in the chambers, and we are yet to go through it. We cannot do justice to it because we have not gone through it,” he said.

However, Speaker Abbas overruled the objection and directed that consideration of the bill continue. He also declined to entertain further interruptions from lawmakers who attempted to raise additional points of order during the debate.

Before voting commenced, Abbas informed members that the electronic voting system was unavailable, prompting the House to rely on attendance records for the voting process.

Out of the 290 lawmakers present, 289 voted in support of the bill, while one voted against it. The Speaker did not participate in the vote.