By Ogochukwu Isioma
The Presidency has disclosed that significant progress has been made towards the establishment of state police, with a constitutional amendment expected soon to provide the legal foundation for its implementation.
The revelation was made by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, after a high-level consultative meeting on state policing held at the State House in Abuja.
According to Gbajabiamila, discussions on the proposed framework began several months ago following a directive from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and have now reached an advanced stage.
“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.
The Chief of Staff stressed that the process involves extensive constitutional and legal considerations and cannot be rushed.
“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 stated.
He expressed optimism that the constitutional amendment process would be concluded soon.
“Hopefully, the amendment will come shortly, and the details of the amendment will come after that.”
Gbajabiamila explained that current discussions are focused on constitutional amendments, while the enabling legislation would follow once the constitutional framework is in place.
“Right now, what we are looking at is the constitutional amendment itself, and then the enabling law would follow thereafter,” he added.
The Presidency noted that there is now broad national consensus on the need for state police, with stakeholders concentrating on developing a workable legal and institutional structure rather than debating the concept itself.
“The debate is no longer about whether state police should be established but about creating the appropriate legal and institutional framework for its operation,” Gbajabiamila said.
He disclosed that President Tinubu, a long-time advocate of decentralised policing, would receive a comprehensive report on the outcome of the consultations.
The meeting forms part of ongoing engagements by the Federal Government aimed at developing a framework to strengthen internal security, improve intelligence gathering at the grassroots and enhance the ability of state governments to respond to emerging security threats.
President Tinubu has consistently argued that state police would provide a practical response to Nigeria’s evolving security challenges.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, Attorney-General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi, Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu and other senior government officials.
