State police: Six assemblies face Nov 15 approval deadline

The Senate has fixed November 15 as the final deadline for the six state Houses of Assembly yet to approve the proposed establishment of state police to communicate their positions, warning that failure to respond by then would be regarded as withholding approval.

The decision came as 30 of the 36 state houses of Assembly had approved the proposed constitutional amendment, exceeding the two-thirds majority required for its passage, with the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, stating on Wednesday that the bill was expected to be transmitted to President Bola Tinubu for assent.

The Senate gave the November 15 deadline to the six Houses of Assembly yet to approve the proposed establishment of state police, following an update by the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, during plenary on Wednesday, that 30 of the 36 state houses of assembly had approved the proposed constitutional amendment.

Although the approvals had exceeded the constitutionally required two-thirds majority of 24 state houses of assembly, Senate President Godswill Akpabio appealed for more time to enable the remaining six states to make their positions known.

Akpabio said any assembly that failed to respond by the November 15 deadline would be deemed to have withheld its approval.

“They should be given more time. Let’s give them till November 15 to respond,” he said.

The Senate unanimously supported his appeal.

Earlier, Bamidele read out the 30 state houses of assembly that had approved the bill.

They are Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.

Bamidele said the number of approvals had surpassed the constitutional requirement of two-thirds of the 36 state assemblies, representing 24 states.

The Senate Leader explained that the amendment process involved three stages: passage by the National Assembly, approval by at least two-thirds of state houses of assembly, and presidential assent.

He said, “Passage of the bill was meant to be done by the National Assembly, which was done, and approval is meant to be done by at least two-thirds of the 36 state houses of assembly in the country, and assent is to be given by the President to complete this process.”

The proposed amendment seeks to alter the 1999 Constitution to provide for the establishment of state police services, a major security reform designed to decentralise policing and allow state governments to establish and manage their own police structures.

The proposal is expected to address longstanding concerns about the limitations of the centralised policing system, particularly in tackling insecurity across the country’s diverse communities.

Speaking on the bill on Wednesday, Kalu expressed excitement, describing the development as a major step towards the establishment of state police in the country.

“The State Police Bill has received the backing of state houses of assembly. Later today, the Clerk to the National Assembly will transmit it to the President for assent,” he said.(Punch)