Reps Pass State Police Bill Amid Walkout Protest

A major shift in Nigeria's security architecture just cleared the House of Representatives, but it did not go smoothly. Minutes after lawmakers approved the Nigeria state police bill, opposition members walked straight out of the chamber in protest.

The Minority Caucus was clear about one thing. This was not a protest against state police itself. It was a protest against how the Nigeria state police bill was pushed through.

Minority Leader Fredrick Agbedi told reporters after the walkout that House leadership sidestepped Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution while managing the amendment process.

According to Agbedi, constitutional amendments require:

• Clause-by-clause review of every provision
• Ratification by a two-thirds majority of members
• A genuine opportunity for lawmakers to propose changes

"The Constitution is the grund norm. It is the rule book from which even our Standing Orders derive their powers. Disregarding its clear provisions is an affront to the workings of the House," Agbedi said.

The caucus also pointed to Order 13 Rule 15(a) of the House Rules, arguing that any provision considered in the Committee of the Whole needs the backing of at least two-thirds of members before it can pass.

Their core complaint was procedural. Lawmakers claim Speaker Abbas Tajudeen read out the bill's lengthy title and moved straight to a voice vote, skipping detailed examination of individual clauses. They also say they were denied the chance to submit amendments, despite having already raised those points directly with the Speaker.

Still, the Minority Caucus was careful to draw a line. It insists it supports the creation of state police as part of the broader push to tackle Nigeria's security crisis. What it will not accept, in its own words, is a shortcut through the Constitution to get there.

Despite the protest, the Nigeria state police bill still passed. The House recorded 311 votes in favor, comfortably clearing the two-thirds threshold required for a constitutional alteration.

Speaker Abbas confirmed that 276 members voted in person, while 35 participated remotely.

The approval followed the adoption of a report from the House Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, chaired by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu.

The legislation, formally titled "A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to Provide for the Establishment of State Police Services and for Related Matters (HB. 2797)," creates a legal pathway for individual states to run their own police formations.

Supporters see it as a long overdue answer to Nigeria's decentralized security problems. Critics, at least for now, are less focused on the idea itself and more on the process used to get it passed.