The Senate on Wednesday passed the Constitution Alteration Bill seeking to establish state police, with a key provision to “empower state governors to appoint Commissioners of Police for their respective states, subject to confirmation by the state Houses of Assembly.”
The bill’s provisions were first considered at the Committee of the Whole before lawmakers adopted them and proceeded to a final vote.
The passage followed clause-by-clause consideration of the bill, with more than two-thirds of senators voting in support through a manual voting process conducted on the floor of the chamber.
Announcing the development, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, declared that lawmakers overwhelmingly backed the proposal during plenary.
The legislation seeks to establish a state policing framework that would operate concurrently with the existing federal police system, effectively ending the exclusive control of policing by the Federal Government.
Under Clause 17 of the proposed constitutional amendment, “while the Federal Police Service will continue to be headed by the Inspector-General of Police, each State Police Service shall be headed by a Commissioner of Police appointed by the governor and confirmed by the legislature of the state.”
The bill further outlines the operational relationship between governors and state police commands.
Section 17(6) provides that “a governor may issue lawful written directives of a general policy nature to the Commissioner of Police on matters relating to the maintenance of public safety and public order within the state.”
To address concerns over potential abuse of the new policing structure by state governments, lawmakers included safeguards aimed at protecting political freedoms and civil liberties.
Section 17(7) specifically states that “a state Commissioner of Police shall not arrest, detain, investigate or deploy force against any person, political party or group merely for criticising the government except in accordance with the law.”
The provision is intended to prevent state police formations from being weaponised against political opponents, activists, journalists or dissenting voices and ensures that any action taken must comply with due process and existing legal provisions.
The passage of the bill came barely an hour after the Senate abandoned plans to deploy an electronic voting system for the consideration of the State Police Bill and other constitutional amendment proposals.
Lawmakers instead adopted a manual voting process following concerns that technical glitches affecting some voting devices could disenfranchise senators and undermine the integrity of the exercise.
The decision followed a motion made by Bamidele, who argued that every senator should be given an equal opportunity to participate in the historic vote.
Akpabio backed the proposal, insisting that an open voting system would not only guarantee full participation but also promote transparency by allowing Nigerians to know where their representatives stood on critical constitutional issues.
Several senior government officials, including the Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Uba Sani; Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun; Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa; and the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, witnessed the Senate’s decision on the floor of the Senate.
With the Senate’s approval, the proposal has now crossed a major legislative hurdle, bringing Nigeria closer than ever to the creation of state-controlled police services operating alongside the federal police system.
