The Kwara State House of Assembly has approved a proposed amendment to the 1999 Constitution seeking to establish a legal framework for state police in Nigeria.
The approval was granted during Tuesday’s plenary after the Speaker, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, read a letter from the Clerk of the National Assembly on the proposed constitutional alteration.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued in Ilorin by the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Abdulkadir Yusuf.
According to the statement, the House Leader, Mogaji Oba Abdulkadri, led the debate on the proposed amendment, outlining its potential benefits to Nigeria’s policing system.
Following deliberations, Danladi-Salihu directed the Clerk of the House, Ahmed Olayiwola, to communicate the Assembly’s decision to the National Assembly for further action.
The approval forms part of ongoing efforts to amend the 1999 Constitution to allow states to establish their own police services alongside the existing Nigeria Police Force.
The National Assembly had earlier transmitted the proposed constitutional amendment to the 36 state Houses of Assembly for consideration and approval.
Under Section 9(2) of the Constitution, at least 24 of the 36 state Houses of Assembly must approve a constitutional alteration before it can proceed to the next stage.
Kwara State’s endorsement therefore represents one step in the wider constitutional amendment process. The proposal must secure the required number of state approvals before it can advance towards becoming law.
