The presidency says significant progress has been made towards the establishment of state police, with a constitutional amendment expected soon to provide the legal framework for its implementation.
Speaking after a consultative meeting on state police held at the State House in Abuja on Thursday, Femi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff to President Bola Tinubu, said deliberations on the initiative have advanced considerably following months of consultations involving the executive, the national assembly, and security agencies.
According to him, discussions began three to four months ago after Tinubu directed relevant stakeholders to develop a workable framework for state policing.
“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.
“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.”
PROCESS NOW AT CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT STAGE
Gbajabiamila said attention is now focused on the constitutional amendment required to create state police, while the enabling legislation would follow afterwards.
“Hopefully, the amendment will come shortly, and the details of the amendment will come after that,” he said.
“Right now, what we are looking at is the constitutional amendment itself, and then the enabling law would follow thereafter. That is what we have been deliberating on in the last couple of hours.”
The chief of staff said there is now broad consensus among stakeholders on the need for state police, adding that discussions are no longer centred on whether the system should be adopted but on the framework that will guide its operation.
He added that Tinubu would receive a comprehensive report on the outcome of the consultations.
Gbajabiamila noted that the proposed state police system is aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture through improved local intelligence gathering and enhanced capacity for sub-national governments to tackle security challenges.
The president has repeatedly advocated the establishment of state police, arguing that a decentralised policing structure would improve grassroots security and better protect lives and property across the country.
The meeting was attended by Jibrin Barau, Benjamin Kalu, Lateef Fagbemi, Tunji Disu, and other senior government officials.
