The Kwara State House of Assembly has approved a proposed alteration to the 1999 Constitution to create a legal framework for state police across Nigeria.
Lawmakers reached the decision during Tuesday’s plenary after Speaker Yakubu Danladi-Salihu presented an official letter from the Clerk of the National Assembly regarding the constitutional amendment.
Confirming the development, the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Abdulkadir Yusuf, issued a statement detailing the House’s approval in Ilorin.
Yusuf stated: “The Kwara State House of Assembly has approved the proposed amendment to the 1999 Constitution to provide a legal framework for the establishment of state police.”
Leading the debate, House Leader Mogaji Oba Abdulkadri highlighted how decentralizing security would significantly strengthen the nation’s policing system.
Supporting the move, fellow lawmakers noted that “the altercation will bring police closer to the people, thereby improving the security of life and property of people across the country.”
Following the floor debate, Speaker Danladi-Salihu directed Clerk of the House Alhaji Ahmed Olayiwola to transmit Kwara’s resolution back to the National Assembly.
The vote comes as part of broader national efforts to allow individual states to set up independent police forces alongside the Nigeria Police Force.
To take effect, the constitutional alteration requires formal approval from at least 24 of Nigeria’s 36 state Houses of Assembly under Section 9(2) of the Constitution.
While Kwara’s endorsement marks a major step forward in the amendment process, it does not immediately create an operational state police force in the state.
