Kwara Assembly Backs Constitutional Amendment To Establish State Police

The Kwara State House of Assembly has approved a proposed amendment to the 1999 Constitution aimed at creating a legal framework for the establishment of state police in Nigeria.

The lawmakers endorsed the proposal during plenary on Tuesday after Speaker Yakubu Danladi-Salihu read a letter from the Clerk of the National Assembly concerning the proposed constitutional alteration.

The development was confirmed in a statement issued in Ilorin by Abdulkadir Yusuf, Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker.

According to the statement, the House Leader, Mogaji Oba Abdulkadri, led the debate on the proposal and highlighted its potential benefits for policing and public safety.

Other lawmakers who contributed to the deliberations argued that state police could bring law enforcement closer to local communities and improve the protection of lives and property.

Following the debate, Danladi-Salihu directed the Clerk of the House, Alhaji Ahmed Olayiwola, to forward the Assembly’s resolution to the National Assembly for further action.

The approval comes amid ongoing efforts to amend the Constitution to allow state governments to establish their own police services alongside the Nigeria Police Force.

The National Assembly had previously transmitted the proposed amendment to all 36 state Houses of Assembly for consideration. Under Section 9(2) of the Constitution, at least 24 state assemblies must approve a constitutional alteration before it can proceed to the next stage.

Supporters of state policing argue that decentralising law enforcement could strengthen local intelligence gathering and enable faster responses to security threats, including kidnapping, banditry and other violent crimes.

Kwara’s endorsement adds to the ongoing legislative consideration of the proposal, although the constitutional process requires the support of the prescribed number of state assemblies before the amendment can advance.