Alas, the long-awaited journey into establishing a state police has begun with the recent passing of the State Police Bill for second reading in the House of Representatives.

Sponsored by the Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu and 14 others, the bill titled, "A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Provide for Establishment of State Police and for Related Matters" aims to move the policing authority from the exclusive list to the concurrent list, thereby empowering states to have control over their own police forces.

Here, we follow the process by first scrutinizing the key provisions of the bill. How will the proposed changes impact the efficiency and accountability of the police force? What safeguards are in place to prevent abuse of power?