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By Gloria Ikibah

The House of Representatives on Tuesday rescinded its earlier resolution on the proposed constitutional amendment to establish state police, paving the way for fresh consideration of an Executive Bill transmitted by President Bola Tinubu.

Lawmakers unanimously voted to withdraw the earlier version of the legislation before immediately giving the President’s proposal a second reading, signalling a fresh phase in the long-running effort to create a constitutional framework for state policing.

The decision followed the adoption of a motion moved by the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Rep. Francis Waive (APC, Delta), during plenary.

Waive said the motion was brought pursuant to Order Nine, Rule 6 of the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives.

He reminded members that the House had, on Thursday, 11 June 2026, approved amendments to several sections of the Constitution relating to the establishment of State Police Services.

According to him, the affected provisions include Sections 34, 35, 39, 42, 84, 89, 129, 153, 197, Chapter VI Part III, Sections 214, 215 and 216, as well as the Second and Third Schedules to the Constitution.

Waive also recalled that on 9 July, the House constituted a 12-member Conference Committee to harmonise its position with that of the Senate on the proposed legislation.

He, however, said fresh developments had made it necessary for lawmakers to revisit the bill.

He said: “New facts have emerged regarding the provisions of the Bill, which necessitate a critical review and reconsideration of its clauses to align with national security structure.

“Cognizant of the need to rescind the decision of the House on the passage of the bill and the constitution of the Conference Committee on the Establishment of State Police Services.”

When Speaker Abbas Tajudeen put the motion to a voice vote, members unanimously supported the proposal, effectively withdrawing the House’s earlier decision on the bill.

Shortly afterwards, the House considered an Executive Bill transmitted by President Bola Tinubu seeking to amend the Constitution to establish a constitutional framework for State Police Services.

The proposed legislation passed second reading after a letter from the President was read on the floor by the Speaker.

In the letter, Tinubu said the Executive Bill builds on the extensive legislative work already carried out by the House while introducing additional safeguards to strengthen the proposed policing framework.

According to the President, the amendments are designed to ensure that the creation of a dual policing system can respond more effectively to Nigeria’s changing security landscape.

“The proposed legislation is a critical component of our administration’s strategy to reorganise Nigeria’s security architecture to better protect our citizens, and I am confident that the House of Representatives will act quickly to consider and pass this bill.

“While I look forward to expeditious consideration of this submission by the House of Representatives, please accept, Rt. Honourable Speaker, the assurances of my consideration and best regards”, Tinubu stated.

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has presented prostheses for different degrees of injuries to 78 beneficiaries in continuation of its Prosthesis Provision Exercise.

Managing Director, Barrister Oluwaseun Faleye, at the formal presentation of the final report on the current phase of the exercise in Abuja, said “the cooperation and commitment demonstrated by the prosthesis providers, beneficiaries, employers, and the monitoring team greatly contributed to the successful completion of this intervention.

“The providers also demonstrated flexibility by accommodating special clinical needs, including the provision of a hip disarticulation prosthesis where necessary”.

Represented by the Executive Director (Operations), Mojisola Alli Macaulay, the MD explained that following the commencement of the prosthesis provision exercise in April 2026, the Claims & Compensation Department of NSITF monitored the implementation of the programme from inception through to its successful completion.

In his words, “Sequel to the interim report submitted previously, I am pleased to report that the prosthesis provision exercise has now been successfully concluded. All identified beneficiaries under the approved programme have been assessed, fitted with the appropriate prostheses, trained on their use, and discharged after satisfactory evaluation.”

According to him, “Where beneficiaries could not participate due to reasons such as inability to establish contact, refusal to attend after notification, or death, they were replaced from the supplementary list to ensure the successful completion of the exercise”.

The various categories of prostheses successfully provided include: Above-knee prosthesis: Total beneficiaries 8, all 8 beneficiaries satisfactorily discharged; Hip Disarticulation Prosthesis: Total beneficiary 1 (provided for a beneficiary whose assessment indicated a hip disarticulation rather than an above-knee amputation), 1 beneficiary satisfactorily discharged

Below knee prosthesis:  Total beneficiaries 11 (All 11 beneficiaries satisfactorily discharged), Below elbow prosthesis:  Total beneficiaries 12 (All 12 beneficiaries satisfactorily discharged); Above elbow prosthesis: Total beneficiaries 5 (All 5 beneficiaries satisfactorily discharged), Trans-humeral prosthesis: Total beneficiary 1 (1 beneficiary satisfactorily discharged).

Silicon partial hand prosthesis: Total beneficiaries 40 (All 40 beneficiaries satisfactorily discharged), Total beneficiaries scheduled for prosthesis provision 78, Total beneficiaries duly discharged 78.

Also speaking at the event, the General Manager (Claims and Compensation), Nkiru Ede-Ogunnaike, noted that throughout the exercise, beneficiaries underwent assessment, measurement, prosthetic fabrication, fitting, gait and functional training, evaluation, and final discharge.

“The prostheses were successfully fitted, and beneficiaries expressed satisfaction with the services rendered. Discharge letters stating completion and warranty with the beneficiaries’ satisfaction forms have been duly completed and filed in their respective dossiers.

“In conclusion, the prosthesis provision programme achieved its intended objectives and has been completed successfully. The exercise has significantly improved the mobility, functionality, and quality of life of the beneficiaries while fulfilling the Fund’s mandate of providing appropriate rehabilitation support to eligible employees who sustained work-related disabilities”.

Speaking on behalf of all the beneficiaries, Solomon Sunday, a staff of Zodoson Industries in Abia State, praised NSITF for giving them their lives back.

He stated that most of them were depressed and frustrated with life after their accident before NSITF came into the scene to redeem their lives with prostheses which have given them  the opportunity to live normal once again.

In his words:” we are deeply grateful to the fund and appreciate NSITF for all they have done for us and have been doing, you can see how excited and happy l am as a young man who can look forward to a bright future and the fund has given me opportunity to acquire new skill to earn a living.  Honestly, we are deeply grateful and thank God for using NSITF to change our stories.”

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Nigerian troops have nabbed a suspected foreign operative linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) during intensified counter-insurgency operations following a failed attack by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters on Cross Kauwa in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State.

Security sources said the suspect, believed to be a Moroccan national, was apprehended after troops of Operation HADIN KAI repelled the attack and launched follow-up operations to track fleeing insurgents.

According to the sources, the terrorists abandoned several items as they retreated under sustained military pressure, prompting troops to carry out exploitation missions along their escape routes.

During the operation, soldiers recovered high-frequency hand-held radios and other communication equipment believed to have been used by the insurgents.

The recovered materials reportedly provided intelligence that enabled troops to expand the operation into the Lake Chad Islands axis and parts of Abadam Local Government Area, where the foreign suspect was eventually arrested.

Military sources said the suspect had earlier been identified during forensic analysis of footage extracted from a camcorder recovered after the failed Cross Kauwa attack.

The camera, according to the sources, belonged to a suspected terrorist media operative who was killed during the encounter.

The footage was analysed in collaboration with international partners, leading investigators to identify the suspect as a person of interest.

Following his arrest, the suspect was evacuated by a Nigerian Air Force helicopter to a secure military facility, where he is currently undergoing interrogation.

Investigators are expected to determine his role within the terrorist network, his route into Nigeria, possible links to the wider ISIS organisation, and any involvement in training, operational planning, communications or propaganda activities.

Security officials described the arrest as a major intelligence breakthrough that could provide fresh insights into the financing, structure and international connections of terrorist groups operating in the Lake Chad Basin.

The development also reinforces longstanding intelligence assessments that foreign nationals continue to provide technical support to extremist groups in the region in areas such as communications, explosives, media production, training and strategic coordination.

Although ISWAP is largely made up of fighters recruited from communities around the Lake Chad Basin, intelligence reports have indicated that foreign facilitators linked to the broader Islamic State network have operated alongside the group.

Military authorities said interrogation of the suspect is ongoing and declined to provide additional operational details for security reasons.

They added that intelligence gathered from the suspect could support ongoing counter-terrorism operations, expose cross-border movement routes and help identify other terrorist cells operating in the region.

The arrest comes as Operation HADIN KAI sustains offensive operations across Borno State aimed at disrupting terrorist activities, dismantling logistics networks and denying insurgents the ability to re-establish strongholds in the Lake Chad region.