The House of Representatives on Tuesday received the report of its special ad hoc committee on Constitution Review on the proposed constitutional amendment to create state-controlled police services.
Presented by Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, Benjamin Kalu, the report was formally laid before the House during plenary, setting the stage for debate and clause-by-clause consideration by lawmakers.
The presentation followed an executive session of the Constitution Review Committee on Monday, during which members harmonised the House’s position with the Senate’s version of the proposed legislation as part of the ongoing constitutional amendment process.
The proposed amendment seeks to alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), “to provide a legal framework for the establishment, regulation and operation of state police services and other related matters.”
In line with parliamentary procedure, the report will be scheduled for consideration by the House on a subsequent legislative day.
The date for debate and clause-by-clause consideration will be fixed by the House Committee on Rules and Business.
The proposal is one of the most closely watched constitutional amendment bills before the National Assembly, coming amid sustained calls by state governments, security experts and civil society organisations for the decentralisation of policing to address growing insecurity across the country.
Supporters argue that state police would improve intelligence gathering, strengthen community policing and enable quicker responses to local security threats, while critics expressed concerns over the possibility of abuse by state governments and the need for robust constitutional safeguards.
Also during plenary, the House adopted the report of its Committee on Police Affairs approving the 2025 and 2026 budget estimates of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund.
The reports were laid by the Chairman, House Committee on Police Affairs, Mr Abubakar Yelleman and considered and adopted during the Committee of Supply presided over by Deputy Speaker, Kalu.
For the 2025 fiscal year, the House approved a budget of N170.11bn for the Police Trust Fund.
A breakdown of the estimates shows that N27.29bn was earmarked for capital expenditure at the Nigeria Police Trust Fund Headquarters, while N132.45bn was allocated for capital projects for the Nigeria Police Force.
The budget also provides N1.82bn for personnel costs and N8.54bn for overhead expenditure.
Similarly, lawmakers approved the sum of N233.96bn as the proposed budget of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund for the 2026 fiscal year.
The approved estimates comprise N43.78bn for capital expenditure at the Nigeria Police Trust Fund Headquarters, N179.11bn for capital projects for the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters, N1.86bn for personnel costs and N9.21bn for overhead expenditure.
The proposed budgets are expected to proceed to third reading today before their final passage by the House.
Established under the Nigeria Police Trust Fund Act, the fund is designed to provide additional financing for the training, equipment, logistics and welfare of the Nigeria Police Force.
It complements the annual budgetary allocations to the police and is funded through contributions from the Federation Account, grants, donations and other statutory sources.
The increased allocations for 2025 and 2026 come amid renewed efforts by the Federal Government to strengthen internal security, modernise policing infrastructure and improve the operational capacity of the Nigeria Police Force.