The Nigerian Senate has passed the constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish state police across the country, marking a significant step toward restructuring Nigeria’s security architecture.
Lawmakers approved the bill on Wednesday after deliberations in the upper legislative chamber.
Before the final vote, senators agreed to adopt manual voting for the consideration of the bill after the chamber’s electronic voting system developed a technical fault.
The decision followed concerns that proceeding with the malfunctioning device could disenfranchise some lawmakers and compromise the integrity of the voting process.
Under the manual voting method, each senator was required to stand, announce their name, and publicly declare their position on the proposed state police framework.
The motion for the adoption of manual voting was moved by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele.
The passage of the bill represents a major milestone in Nigeria’s push to decentralize policing, with proponents arguing that state controlled police forces will improve local security responses and strengthen efforts to combat rising insecurity across the federation.
