The Federal Government says significant progress has been made toward the establishment of state police in Nigeria, with a constitutional amendment expected in the near term following months of consultations among the Executive, the National Assembly, and key security stakeholders.
In a statement Special Adviser to the President Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga said the Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed this on Thursday while briefing State House Correspondents after a high-level consultative meeting on the proposed state policing framework held at the State House, Abuja.
Gbajabiamila explained that deliberations on the initiative commenced several months ago following a directive by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, noting that the process has since recorded substantial progress.
He stressed that the creation of state police requires extensive constitutional and legal adjustments and cannot be implemented without due process.
“Establishing state police is not something you do with the snap of a finger. There is a lot involved in terms of constitutional and legal considerations, and thank God we have now gained a lot of traction. Hopefully, the amendment will come shortly, and the details of the amendment will follow thereafter,” he said.
According to him, discussions have now advanced to the stage of reviewing the required constitutional amendments, after which enabling legislation will be developed to guide implementation.
“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,” he added.
The Chief of Staff noted that there is broad national consensus on the need for state police, adding that the current focus is no longer on whether it should be established, but on designing an effective legal and institutional framework for its operation.
He said President Tinubu, who has consistently advocated for reforms in Nigeria’s security architecture, would receive a comprehensive report on the outcome of the meeting.
The consultative engagement forms part of ongoing efforts by the Federal Government to develop a viable framework for state policing, aimed at strengthening internal security, improving local intelligence gathering, and enhancing the capacity of sub-national governments to respond to emerging security challenges.
President Tinubu has repeatedly maintained that state police remains a critical component of Nigeria’s evolving security needs, arguing that decentralised policing would improve grassroots security, enhance intelligence-driven operations, and better protect lives and property nationwide.
The meeting was attended by the Deputy President of the Senate, Jibrin Barau; Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu; Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi; Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; and other senior government officials.
