FIC REPORT (BENUE STATE) – The Benue State House of Assembly has passed H.B. 4, a constitutional amendment bill seeking the establishment of State Police Services across Nigeria to strengthen security and improve grassroots policing.
The bill was passed during plenary on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at the Assembly Complex, Makurdi, presided over by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Alfred Emberga.
Leading the debate, the Majority Leader, Hon. Peter Bemdoo Ipusu, explained that the proposed amendment would establish State Police Services alongside the Federal Police Service to enhance intelligence gathering, ensure faster response to security threats and promote community policing.
He noted that the reform would help address kidnapping, banditry, farmer-herder conflicts and other security challenges while reducing the operational burden on the Nigeria Police Force.
Hon. Ipusu explained that the constitutional amendment requires approval by at least 24 of the 36 State Houses of Assembly before proceeding for presidential assent.
In another development, the House adopted a motion calling for the rehabilitation of the Radio Benue Substation at Idekpa, Ohimini Local Government Area, abandoned for over 15 years.
Moving the motion, the member representing Ohimini State Constituency, Hon. Isaac Agbo Ochekliye, lamented that the abandonment had denied rural communities access to vital government information and public enlightenment programmes.
The House consequently urged the State Government to make provisions for the facility’s rehabilitation in the 2027 budget and directed the Ministry of Information and Orientation and Radio Benue management to assess its condition.
It also mandated its Standing Committee on Information and Orientation to inspect the facility and report back within 14 days.
Meanwhile, the Assembly has proceeded on recess and is expected to resume plenary on Tuesday, November 17, 2026.
VERONICA AZEMBA
FOR HEAD OF CENTER FIC MAKURDI
