Bill to Repeal Police Act Passes Second Reading

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

A Bill for an Act to Repeal the Police Act CAP P18 LFN 2004 and enact the Police Reform and for related matters, 2018(SB.682), sponsored by Senator Bala Na’allah (Kebbi South), passed the second reading in the Senate on Tuesday.

Na’allah while leading the debate on the bill frowned at government sending 30,000 policemen for Ekiti state governorship election coming up on Saturday.

He wondered why government that could not deploy enough policemen to curb incessant attacks and killings across the country could at this period in time mobilise policemen of that magnitude for an election in one state.

While canvassing for the support of his colleagues for the Bill, Na’allah emphasised that “we cannot envisage any meaningful reforms of the Nigeria Police without first reforming the legal infrastructure under which it operates”

According to him, the Bill is a crucial step to reforming the Nigeria Police to make it amenable to the demands and expectations of an independent and democratic country.

The Bill, he further said, will be a major contributor to the absolute panacea to the nation’s policing problems.

Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over Tuesday’s plenary, thanked Na’allah for the ingenuity he brought to bear on the sponsorship of the Bill.

The Bill subsequently passed the second reading in readiness for a public hearing to be fixed by the Senate Committee on Police Affairs.