A commissioner of police chosen from among the state’s active police officers will lead the new state police under the proposed constitutional amendment, which is a long-awaited attempt to decentralize the Nigeria Police Force, which has been unable to handle the nation’s spiraling security crisis.
The bill, sponsored by Benjamin Kalu, the deputy speaker of the house, and fourteen other sponsors, was titled “A Bill for an Act to alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Provide for Establishment of State Police and Related Matters,” and it placed the police on the concurrent list.
According to the 1999 Constitution, law enforcement is directly under the jurisdiction of the federal government since it is included on the exclusive legislative List.
The co-sponsor and member representing Ilorin West/Asa Federal Constituency, Tolani Shagaya, led the discussion on the general principles of the bill. She pointed out that the security and welfare of the people are the main goals of government, as stated in section 14(2)(b) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 Constitution.
“Transfer of police from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent list, a move that effectively empowers states to have state-controlled policing; the introduction of a comprehensive framework to ensure cohesion as well as accountability and uniform standards between the federal police and state police; the provision of prescribed rigorous safeguards preventing unwarranted interference by the federal police in state police affairs, emphasizing collaboration and intervention only under well-defined circumstances,” he said, highlighting some of the key innovations in the proposed alteration bill.
The establishment of state police service commissions, which are separate from the Federal Police Service Commission and have clearly defined roles and jurisdictions, as well as a reorganization of the National Police Council to include the chairmen of the state police service commissions, are among the other significant provisions of the bill that Shagaya listed. These provisions highlight the collaborative and consultative nature of policing in our federal system.
The proposed amendment stipulates that the governor will designate the state commissioner of police based on the Federal Police Service Commission’s proposal and the state assembly’s consent.
On the other hand, the governor may remove the CP with the consent of two-thirds of the state assembly, based on the Federal Police Service Commission’s proposal.