House of Representatives passes State Police establishment bill
The path to the establishment of the long-awaited state police in Nigeria widened today as the House of Representatives passed the state police bill.
The resolution to this effect followed the voting during the plenary session presided over by the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas.
Channels TV quotes Abbas as announcing that 288 lawmakers voted in support of the bill, while four voted against it, by the show of hands as the electronic voting system was out of order.
The bill seeks to create an additional layer of policing with constitutional safeguards, clearly defined operational frameworks, oversight guidelines, and delineation of powers between federal and state policing to check the increasing waves of insecurity in the country.
Meanwhile, the Senate has pasbill similar bill (on the establishment of state police) through second reading.
During the plenary, Senate President Godswill Akpabio said the lawmakers will vote on the bill during their next sitting.
