The push for State Police in Nigeria has gained massive momentum as 32 out of 36 states have now approved the State Police Bill.
This was revealed on Wednesday as more State Houses of Assembly transmitted their approvals to the National Assembly.
The bill seeking to amend the 1999 Constitution to allow creation of State Police has now reached 32 states, leaving only 4 states yet to approve.
This means the bill has met the constitutional requirement of two-thirds of state assemblies, which is 24 states, to become law.
With 32 states’ approval, the bill will move to the next stage of constitution amendment process before final assent by the President.
Proponents of State Police have long argued that it will help to tackle insecurity, banditry and kidnapping across the country, while opponents fear it may be abused by state governors.
Below is the list of the 32 states that have approved and the four remaining states being awaited:
Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara states.
The states being awaited include Katsina, Bauchi, Borno and Niger states.
