The Federal Government has moved closer to the establishment of state police across Nigeria, with the Presidency revealing that the constitutional framework required for its implementation is nearing completion following months of intensive consultations and deliberations.
This development was disclosed on Thursday by Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, after a high-level consultative meeting on state policing held at the State House in Abuja.
Addressing State House Correspondents, Gbajabiamila said discussions on the proposed state police structure commenced several months ago following a directive from President Tinubu and have since recorded significant progress.
According to him, the creation of state police involves complex constitutional and legal processes that require careful consideration to ensure a sustainable and effective framework.
He noted that deliberations have now advanced to the stage of constitutional amendments, which will pave the way for the enactment of enabling laws necessary for the operation of state police across the federation.
“Establishing state police is not something that can be done overnight. There are constitutional and legal issues that must be properly addressed. However, we have gained substantial traction and we are optimistic that the constitutional amendment process will commence shortly,” Gbajabiamila stated.
The Chief of Staff emphasized that there is now widespread consensus among key stakeholders on the need for state police, adding that the focus has shifted from debating its necessity to designing the appropriate legal and institutional mechanisms for its implementation.
He further disclosed that President Tinubu, a long-time advocate of decentralized policing, would receive a comprehensive report on the outcome of the consultations as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.
The Presidency maintained that the proposed state police system is intended to enhance grassroots security, improve intelligence gathering and empower sub-national governments to respond more effectively to emerging security threats within their jurisdictions.
The consultative meeting brought together top government officials, including Jibrin Barau, Benjamin Kalu, Lateef Fagbemi and Tunji Disu, alongside other senior government and security officials.
The latest development signals a major step toward what many stakeholders consider a critical reform of Nigeria’s security system, amid growing calls for more localized and responsive policing structures to address the nation’s evolving security challenges.
