Reps Move To Transfer Police To Concurrent Legislative List

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, and 14 other lawmakers have proposed to transfer the term “police” in the 1999 Constitution from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent legislative list.
The bill, which comprises 18 clauses, seeks to amend sections 34, 35, 39, 42, 84, 89, 129, 153, 197, 214, 215 and 216 of the constitution.
On February 15, the Federal Government set up a committee to explore the creation of state police given the worsening spate of insecurity across the country.
The Chairman, House Committee on Rules and Business, Francis Waive, said given the fact that the bill was a constitutional matter, the onus was now on the Constitution Review Committee, which rolled out a two-year work plan to deliberate on state police, local government autonomy, fiscal federalism and other items listed for deliberations in the constitutional amendment process.
”The State Police Bill is a constitutional amendment. After the second reading, it was referred to the Constitution Review Committee like all other constitutional amendments. The committee has rolled out its two-year work plan,” Waive said.
The retreat, which will be held in Abuja later this month, will witness collaborative efforts between the Clerk to the Committee on Constitution Review and the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre.
In May, the committee will engage with stakeholders, including civil society organisations, to collate inputs after which the committee will call for a public hearing.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, said both chambers of the National Assembly were ready to amend the constitution to accommodate state police if the decentralisation of the security architecture would end kidnapping, banditry, terrorism, and other crimes being experienced in Nigeria.