E-X-C-L-U-S-I-V-E!  Bill for creation of State Police before National Assembly 

 

BY KAZIE UKO

A bill seeking to amend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to grant the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly power to make laws with respect to the creation, formation and control of police and government security services in Nigeria has been tabled before the House of Representatives.

When passed and assented into law by the President, the 36 states of the Federation will be at liberty to establish and run their own police force, independent of the Federal police.

Sponsored by Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives, the bill seeks for an Act to delete item 45 on the Exclusive List and transfer it to the Concurrent Legislative List.

The bill which has been gazetted also seeks to amend line 2 in Section 214, sub section 1 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

The bill seeks to specifically delete the phrase: “and subject to the provisions of this section no other police force shall be established for the Federation or any part thereof” immediately after the word “force”.

The bill also creates new sections 215 and 216 which emphatically states that “there shall be a police force in each state of the federation. Subject to the provisions of this Constitution: a state Police Force shall be organized and administered in accordance with such provisions as may be prescribed by an act of the State House of Assembly.”

The bill envisages that “there shall be a Commissioner of Police who shall be appointed by the Governor on the advice of the State Police Council from among serving members of the State Police Force”.

There will also be a Head of Police for each of the local government areas of the State to be appointed by the State Police Service Commission.

Debate on the bill is scheduled to begin as soon as the House resumes from its two months recess on September 17, 2019.