Reps Pass State Police Bill as Minority Lawmakers Stage Walkout

The House of Representatives has approved the executive bill seeking to establish state police services after 311 lawmakers voted in support of the proposed amendment to the 1999 Constitution.

The approval came during plenary after members considered and adopted the report of the House Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, chaired by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu.

Speaker Abbas Tajudeen announced that 311 lawmakers participated in the voting process. According to him, 276 members were physically present in the chamber, while another 35 lawmakers joined the session virtually.

The proposed legislation, titled A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to Provide for the Establishment of State Police Services and for Related Matters (HB. 2797), seeks to create the constitutional basis for the establishment and operation of state police services across the country.

The bill was transmitted to the National Assembly by President Bola Tinubu as part of efforts to reform Nigeria’s security system through constitutional changes.

Despite the bill’s passage, proceedings were disrupted after members of the Minority Caucus walked out of the chamber in protest.

The opposition lawmakers said their action was not because they opposed the idea of state police but because they believed the House leadership failed to follow the proper constitutional and parliamentary procedures required for constitutional amendments.

Speaking to journalists after leaving the chamber, Minority Leader Fredrick Agbedi, alongside other leaders of the caucus, argued that the process adopted during the consideration of the bill did not comply with the Constitution and the House Standing Orders.

The caucus maintained that attendance in the House should be determined through the official register signed by lawmakers on each legislative day rather than by the names announced during proceedings.

The opposition lawmakers also argued that every clause of a constitutional amendment bill must be debated and voted on separately, with each clause receiving the support of at least two-thirds of House members before it can be approved.

They insisted that the House rules clearly provide that each clause should be considered individually in the Committee of the Whole before being passed.

According to the caucus, the decision to approve the bill after only reading its long title and relying on a voice vote did not satisfy the constitutional requirements for amending the nation’s constitution.

Before the bill reached the House, President Tinubu had explained in his communication to lawmakers that the proposal was designed to build on previous efforts to establish state police while introducing measures to ensure an effective dual policing system across the country.

The President said the proposed amendment forms part of his administration’s broader plan to strengthen Nigeria’s security structure and improve the protection of lives and property nationwide.

He also expressed confidence that the National Assembly would give the bill prompt attention.

Following the President’s request, the House reversed its earlier resolution of June 11, 2026, on the establishment of state police services and dissolved the 12-member Conference Committee that had been set up on July 9, 2026, to work on the earlier proposal.

With the House’s approval secured, the state police bill will continue through the remaining stages of the constitutional amendment process before it can become law.