State Police Bill: Senate Gives Six State Assemblies Till November 15 To Grant Approval

The Senate has given State Houses of Assembly until November 15 this year to give their approval to the State Police Bill, to enable its transmission to the President for assent.

The decision followed an update by the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, during plenary today.

Sen. Opeyemi disclosed that 30 State Houses of Assembly have so far approved the bill, exceeding the two-thirds requirement of 24 states needed for passage.

The states that have approved include Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Delta, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Imo, Gombe, Kaduna, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kwara, Lagos, Ogun, Rivers, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara, among others.

He noted that the widespread approval indicates the popularity of the bill.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio, however, appealed that the remaining six states be given time to respond, adding that any State House of Assembly that fails to respond by the deadline would be deemed to have withheld its approval. A position unanimously agreed to by the Senate.