Yobe Assembly approves state police bill

The Yobe State House of Assembly has approved the establishment of a state police service. This decision was made as part of the consideration of proposed amendments to the 1999 Constitution, according to Punch and Punch Nigeria.

Separately, the Kaduna State House of Assembly endorsed a proposed amendment to the 1999 Constitution that would allow for the creation of state police services. Daily Post Nigeria reports that the National Assembly forwarded the proposal to the state legislature for approval. During a plenary session chaired by Deputy Speaker Henry Magaji Dajuma, lawmakers gave their consent to the measure.

Henry Marah, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, stated that the Assembly views state policing as a necessary step to address security challenges, including banditry. Marah told journalists that the arrangement is intended to improve crime response, protect residents and property, and create jobs for young people.

He noted that the current policing structure makes direct accountability difficult for state governments and that the Assembly will introduce legislation to establish operational guidelines and safeguard the welfare of personnel.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch, Punch Nigeria, Daily Post Nigeria — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.