Nigeria, June 14 -- The House of Representatives on Thursday passed a constitutional amendment bill seeking the establishment of state police, paving the way for the creation of a decentralised policing system in Nigeria.

The proposed amendment seeks to alter the 1999 Constitution to allow states to establish their own police forces, ending the current arrangement where policing is controlled mainly by the federal government through the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

With insecurity continuing to plague communities across the country, lawmakers overwhelmingly backed a proposal to amend the Constitution and pave the way for the establishment of state police.

While the bill enjoyed near-unanimous support on the floor of the House, one lawma...