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Senate receives Bill on State Police
News & Trends •
we have talked about the fact that whether these killings were initial acts of aggression or reprisal attacks it is clear that either way it is totally unacceptable and we must condemn it in all totality he said2 secondly these are acts of criminality and we should not encourage any other colouration to it be it religious or otherwise. this is criminality. and as such we have a role to ensure that we must address this criminality to see how we can fight it2 we have spoken on many platforms and made suggestions to the executive on the fact that there is a need for an urgent review of the security architecture of the nation2 having made suggestions and listened to security agencies over the killings saraki said it was important for the lawmakers to do their own part2 we as the senate must come up with our own actions. we do not need to flog the issue. we have told the executive what to do. we have told them privately and we have told them publicly. however on our own part we must decide on what we need to do2 the decision of the senate to allow for state policing came as a result of the unending crisis and killings across nigeria1 with the bill the senate seeks to remove policing from the exclusive list and put in in the concurrent list thereby allowing state governors to establish and manage a police force within their states1 according to the order paper of the upper legislative chambers for thursday the bill is listed as the first item for presentation1 the president of the senate while welcoming his colleagues from their last break stated clearly that it was time for the senate to take a decision on the security architecture in nigeria1 the senate is set to receive for first reading a bill to alter the constitution of the federal republic of nigeria and create state police1 in keeping to his promise to present the bill deputy president of the senate sen. ike ekwerenmadu is listed as the sponsor of the bill1 ekweremadu is supported in sponsoring the bill by 75 other senators bringing the total number of sponsors to 76 that is over 82 per cent of the 109 members of the chamber1 as at the time of the report the bill has not been sighted by our correspondent therefore a list of notable co-sponsors cannot be readily given1 the establishment and running of the police force is a preservation of the government at the centre and is on the exclusive list1 the senate therefore resolved to amend the constitution to allow for state policing while the deputy president of the senate promised to present a bill to that effect1