By The Federal Government says substantial progress has been made toward the establishment of state police across Nigeria, with a constitutional amendment expected in the near future to provide the legal foundation for the initiative.
The disclosure was made on Thursday by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, after a high-level consultative meeting on state policing held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Addressing State House correspondents after the meeting, Gbajabiamila said discussions on the proposed state police structure began several months ago following a directive from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and have since recorded significant progress.
“We started deliberations in the last three or four months on how to go about the establishment of state police as directed by Mr President.” he said.
He explained that the process involves complex constitutional and legal considerations, making it impossible to implement the policy without careful planning and broad consultations.
”Establishing state police is not something that you do with the snap of the fingers. There is a lot involved in terms of constitution and legalities, and thank God we have now gained a lot of traction.” he added.
According to him, attention is now focused on the constitutional amendment required to create the framework for state police, while the enabling legislation will be addressed afterward.
”Right now, what we are looking at is the constitutional amendment itself, and then the enabling law would follow thereafter.” He said.
Gbajabiamila noted that discussions have moved beyond whether state police should exist, saying the emphasis is now on developing a workable legal and institutional structure for its operation nationwide.
He added that President Tinubu would receive a comprehensive report on the outcome of the consultations.
The Presidency has consistently argued that state police would strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture by improving intelligence gathering at the grassroots level, enhancing local responses to security threats, and enabling state governments to play a more active role in protecting lives and property.
The consultative meeting formed part of ongoing engagements by the Federal Government aimed at developing a practical framework for decentralized policing in response to the country’s evolving security challenges.
Among those present at the meeting were Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, Attorney-General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi, and Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu, alongside other senior government officials.
