N igeria moved a step closer to state-controlled policing on Thursday after the House of Representatives approved an Executive Bill to create state police services. As reported by Champion Newspapers , the approval came amid drama in Abuja, with opposition members storming out over the way the vote was handled. 311 lawmakers participated in the exercise. Speaker Tajudeen Abbas said 276 cast their votes in the chamber, while 35 voted online. Before the vote, the House adopted recommendations from the Constitution Review Committee chaired by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu. The bill “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Provide for the Establishment of State Police Services and for Related Matters (HB. 2797)” seeks to amend the constitution to allow states to operate police forces alongside the Nigeria Police Force. Lawmakers abandoned their own earlier draft and a 12-member harmonization panel set up on July 9. Instead, they adopted the ve...