In a surprising legislative shift, the House of Representatives has withdrawn its self-sponsored constitutional amendment bill aimed at establishing state police across Nigeria.
The decision, made during Tuesday’s plenary session, July 14, clears the path for lawmakers to focus entirely on a separate, executive-backed State Police Bill forwarded by the presidency.
Following the withdrawal of its own draft, the Green Chamber immediately fast-tracked the executive’s proposal to ensure the momentum on decentralized policing remains intact.
The executive-sponsored bill successfully scaled both its first and second readings during Tuesday’s sitting. Following its second reading, the bill was referred to the House Committee on Constitutional Review for further legislative input, public hearings, and clause-by-clause evaluation.
This administrative move consolidates policing reform efforts into a single legislative track, streamlining the complex constitutional amendment process required to allow sub-national policing. The executive bill will now undergo detailed scrutiny at the committee level, where lawmakers will refine its provisions before presenting it back to the floor for final passage.