Senate ready to amend constitution to accommodate state police – Spokesperson

The Senate spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, said the federal parliament was ready to review the constitution to accommodate state police if the decentralization of the security system would end insecurity.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, at a meeting with state governors on Thursday, had approved the constitution of a committee to explore the modalities for the establishment of state police.

Police is on the exclusive legislative list in the constitution, barring state governments from establishing state police.

Senate President

Godswill Akpabio had, earlier this week, constituted a 45-member committee to further review the 1999 constitution. The panel would be inaugurated next Tuesday.

Adaramodu, in an interview with newsmen in Abuja on Friday, said the Senate was ready to read the body language of Nigerians and come up with laws that would make lives meaningful to residents.

He said, “The parliament is to make laws and the laws that the parliament will make will not be generated outside of the interest and aspirations of Nigerians.

“So, if either the federal government or the state governors or whoever wants state police, so be it. We are ready to review our laws to accommodate it.

“The Senate is about to inaugurate the constitution amendment committee and then when we put the panel in place, members will now go out there and meet up with all the critical stakeholders in Nigeria within the sectors, traditional rulers and so on and so forth.”

Adaramodu, however, said the state houses of assembly and the governors would still have a crucial role to play because at least 24 out of the 36 states of the federation must vote in support of any amendment to the constitution before it could be signed by the President.