Kaduna Assembly Endorses Constitutional Amendment to Establish State Police

The Kaduna State House of Assembly has endorsed a proposed amendment to the 1999 Constitution to pave the way for the establishment of state police services in Nigeria.

The lawmakers approved the proposal during Thursday’s plenary session, presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Henry Magaji Dajuma, following its transmission to state legislatures by the National Assembly for consideration and concurrence.

The Chairman of the Assembly’s Committee on Information, Henry Marah, who represents Jaba State Constituency, disclosed the decision while briefing journalists after the sitting.

Marah said the proposed state police system would strengthen community security, improve the protection of lives and property, and create employment opportunities for young people.

According to him, the existing policing structure limits the ability of state governments to hold security authorities directly accountable when they fail to address security threats within their jurisdictions.

He explained that establishing state police would provide a legal framework for community-based security operations and improve responses to crimes, including banditry and kidnapping.

The lawmaker maintained that a decentralised policing arrangement would enable security personnel to respond more effectively to threats based on the specific needs of individual communities.

He added that the Kaduna State House of Assembly would introduce appropriate legislation to regulate the operations, administration and welfare of personnel of the proposed state police service once the constitutional amendment takes effect.

On funding, Marah assured residents that the state government would prioritise the financing of the proposed security outfit, even if doing so required reducing expenditure on other projects.

He stressed that security should take precedence because residents could not engage in farming, business and other economic activities without adequate protection.

The lawmaker also urged residents to support the proposed arrangement, expressing optimism that improved security would enable farmers to return to their farms and harvest their produce without fear of being kidnapped.

The endorsement adds Kaduna State to the growing number of states considering the proposed restructuring of Nigeria’s policing system amid persistent security challenges across the country.

Supporters of state police have argued that allowing states to establish and manage their own police services would improve intelligence gathering, strengthen community-level security and reduce response times to criminal incidents.

However, the proposal has also generated concerns about possible political interference, human rights abuses and the capacity of state governments to fund and supervise police personnel independently.

Under the constitutional amendment process, the approval of the Kaduna Assembly alone is insufficient to bring the proposal into effect. The amendment must receive the required backing from state legislatures and satisfy the other constitutional requirements.

The development comes as Nigeria continues to explore measures to address insecurity, including banditry, kidnapping and attacks on farming communities.

If the proposed amendment is completed and the necessary state legislation enacted, the new arrangement would establish a framework for state police services to operate alongside the federal police.