By Samuel Olusegun Precious
The House of Representatives has withdrawn its proposed constitutional amendment to establish state police, opting instead to consider a similar bill transmitted by the Executive.
The development came during Tuesday’s plenary session at the National Assembly complex in Abuja, where the Executive-sponsored state police bill scaled first and second readings. The bill was thereafter referred to the House Committee on Constitutional Review for further legislative action.
With this decision, the House has effectively suspended its earlier proposal and will now focus on the Executive-backed amendment. Lawmakers said the Executive bill will undergo detailed scrutiny at the committee stage, where key provisions on structure, funding, and oversight will be examined before it returns to the floor.
The debate around state police has continued to gain momentum nationwide, with many Nigerians linking it to improving response time to insecurity at the grassroots.
The House Committee on Constitutional Review is expected to begin work on the bill in the coming weeks and report back to the House.
