The House of Representatives on Tuesday, February 20, passed for a second reading, a bill seeking to amend the 1999 constitution to allow for the establishment of state police.
The bill, sponsored by the deputy speaker and 14 other members, was passed by the House and referred to the House Committee on Constitution Review amid fear by some members that the state governors may use them as a weapon of coercion and victimization.
Leading a debate on the bill, Tolani Shagaya (APC, Kwara) said the bill on state police will bring back the essence of true federalism and put the states in a vantage position to address issues of insecurity in the country.
He said state police will be better placed and prepared to handle the issues of insecurity in the various communities across the country and fight crime accordingly in the communities.
He said that at the moment, state police existed in parts of the country in one way or the other such as Amotekun and Neighborhood Watch, adding that what the bill seeks to do is to give them legal backing and allow them to operate on the side of the law.
Supporting the second reading of the bill, Ahmed Jaha (APC, Borno) said the establishment of the Civilian Joint Task Force in Borno state helped a great deal in the fight against Boko Haram in Borno state, reducing their occupation to the barest minimum.
He said if the locals who will form part of the state Police are involved in policing the states, intelligence gathering will be much easier, adding that it is not the responsibility of the military to engage in internal security, but are now involved because of the failure of internal security measures.
