The Kano State House of Assembly has passed a bill seeking to amend the 1999 Constitution to allow state governments to establish and operate their own police services.
The bill was approved during Tuesday’s plenary session presided over by the Speaker, Jibril Ismail-Falgore, following deliberations on its 26 clauses by the Committee of the Whole House.
The proposed constitutional amendment is part of wider efforts to decentralise policing in Nigeria and provide a legal framework for state-level police services alongside the existing Nigeria Police Force.
The development comes amid continuing national discussions on how to strengthen security and improve responses to kidnapping, banditry, terrorism and other criminal activities affecting communities across the country.
Supporters of state police argue that locally established security services could improve intelligence gathering and enable faster responses to threats because officers may have a better understanding of the communities they serve.
However, questions surrounding funding, accountability, operational independence and the potential misuse of state police by political authorities remain important considerations in the debate.
The Assembly’s approval represents a step in the constitutional amendment process; it does not mean that a state police service has already been established or begun operations in Kano.
The proposed reform will form part of the wider constitutional process required to determine whether states can legally establish their own police forces.
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