State police: six Nigerian assemblies given 15 November deadline
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Punch
Thirty of Nigeria’s 36 state assemblies have approved the creation of a state police force, exceeding the constitutional two-thirds threshold. The Senate has given the remaining six assemblies until 15 November to communicate their position, otherwise their silence will be considered a refusal, Punch reports.
The Nigerian Senate has given the six state assemblies that have not yet approved the creation of a local police force until 15 November to communicate their position, Punch reported on Wednesday. Senate President Godswill Akpabio said that any assembly that did not respond by that date would be considered to have refused its approval.
Thirty of the 36 state assemblies have already approved the proposed revision of the 1999 Constitution, while the required threshold is set at two-thirds, or 24 assemblies. The bill must still receive President Bola Tinubu’s assent to complete the constitutional process, according to Senate Majority Leader Opeyemi Bamidele.
The Senate extended the deadline after the approval status was presented in plenary. This step comes after about 30 Nigerian states approved the local police force, announced on 28 October.
