The House of Representatives on Thursday, 26th July, 2026, passed a constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish state police, amid protests and a walkout by opposition lawmakers over the procedure adopted during consideration of the legislation.

According to Naija News, the bill, transmitted to the House by President Bola Tinubu on July 14, was approved during a clause-by-clause consideration by the Committee of the Whole, presided over by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas.

The House had earlier passed the proposed legislation on June 11 but later rescinded the decision to allow for further scrutiny.

Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Francis Waive, who moved the motion for the earlier decision to be withdrawn, had explained that fresh information emerged concerning provisions of the bill.

According to him, the development made it necessary for lawmakers to undertake a more critical examination of the legislation and ensure that its provisions were consistent with Nigeria’s national security architecture.

Moving the motion for consideration of the bill during Thursday’s plenary, the Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Review, Benjamin Kalu, described the proposed amendment as a major step towards tackling the country’s persistent security challenges.

Kalu commended Tinubu for forwarding the bill to the National Assembly, saying the President had long advocated decentralised policing, including during his tenure as governor of Lagos State.

He said the proposed amendment was designed to take policing closer to communities, strengthen intelligence gathering and improve collaboration among security agencies.

According to the deputy speaker, the reform would also give governments at different levels greater capacity to respond to changing security threats.

Kalu acknowledged that the legislation might not address every concern immediately, but maintained that constitutional reform was usually gradual.

He explained that the amendment would provide the constitutional foundation for state police, while subsequent laws would deal with recruitment, training, operational standards, accountability, oversight and coordination between federal and state security institutions.