Thirty state assemblies have said yes, and that single fact changes everything. Nigeria is now closer than it has ever been to having state-level police forces, after 30 Houses of Assembly formally concurred with the constitutional amendment required to make it happen.
The threshold for amending Nigeria's constitution requires approval from at least 24 state assemblies, so clearing 30 is a significant margin. It signals that support for the idea stretches well beyond a slim majority, cutting across the usual regional and political fault lines that tend to slow legislative progress at the state level.
State policing has been one of the most debated security proposals in Nigeria for years. Advocates argue that local forces would be better positioned to respond to community-specific threats, from banditry in the northwest to kidnapping along southern highways. Critics have raised concerns about the potential for governors to weaponize state police against political opponents.
With the constitutional hurdle now cleared at the state level, attention shifts to what comes next, and whether the federal framework that follows will have enough safeguards to keep those concerns from becoming reality.
Originally published by BusinessDay.