The Kogi State House of Assembly has unanimously approved a proposed constitutional amendment to establish state police in Nigeria.
The Assembly cited the need to tackle insecurity and improve intelligence gathering in arriving at the decision.
The Speaker of the House, Aliyu Umar Yusuf, announced the decision on Tuesday during plenary deliberations on the bill seeking to provide for the establishment of state police across the country.
Yusuf said the proposed reform would strengthen Nigeria’s security system and enable states to respond more quickly to threats within their territories.
He identified terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, farmer-herder clashes, political thuggery and other criminal activities as major security challenges requiring a more responsive policing system.
“The officers will understand the terrain and the security challenges of their communities better, making it easier to identify suspicious movements and gather intelligence on time,” he said.
The Speaker said decentralising policing would also reduce delays in responding to distress calls and improve security operations in communities.
He recalled that President Bola Tinubu had initiated the proposed constitutional amendment, which was considered and passed by both chambers of the National Assembly before being sent to state Houses of Assembly for approval in line with Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
Yusuf said state police would complement the activities of the Nigeria Police Force and help address the pressure on the existing federal policing structure.
He also identified youth employment as another potential benefit of the proposal, noting that recruitment into state police formations could create jobs for young people.
Contributing to the debate, members of the Assembly unanimously supported the proposal, arguing that bringing policing closer to communities would improve public safety and make security agencies more effective.
“They will be able to identify strangers in their communities, monitor suspicious movements and provide timely information to security agencies,” the lawmakers said.
Yusuf urged his colleagues to support the amendment, saying it offered an opportunity to develop a security system capable of responding more effectively to the country's growing security challenges.
At the end of the deliberations, the Assembly unanimously approved the bill and directed the Clerk of the House to formally communicate its decision to the National Assembly.