The Federal Government has announced substantial progress in the push to establish state police in Nigeria, with efforts now concentrated on securing a constitutional amendment to enable the reform. Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, revealed this on Thursday following a high-level meeting to review ongoing work on the proposed state policing framework.
High-Level Meeting on State Police
Gbajabiamila disclosed that deliberations on the creation of state police have been ongoing for the past three to four months, following a directive from President Bola Tinubu. Stakeholders have been examining the constitutional, legal, and operational issues involved in setting up a decentralised policing system. He stressed that establishing state police is a complex process requiring careful legislative and constitutional procedures rather than a simple executive action.
“We had a special meeting on state police, which we have been discussing for some time. Deliberations began about three or four months ago on how to actualise the establishment of state police as directed by Mr President,” he said. “Establishing state police is not something that can be done with the wave of a hand or the snap of a finger. There is a lot involved in terms of constitutional provisions and legal frameworks.”
Constitutional Amendment in Sight
The Chief of Staff expressed optimism that the constitutional amendment required to create state police would be introduced soon. “Thank God, we have gained a lot of traction. Hopefully, the constitutional amendment will come shortly, while the details and enabling legislation will follow thereafter,” he added. He explained that the immediate priority is securing the constitutional amendment, after which lawmakers would work on the enabling laws to define the operational framework for state police across the country.
“Right now, what we are looking at is the constitutional amendment itself. The enabling law will follow afterwards. That has been the focus of our deliberations over the last few hours,” he said.
National Consensus Emerging
Gbajabiamila further noted that there appears to be broad national support for the initiative, describing state police as a reform that has attracted widespread consensus among stakeholders. “I believe there is now a national consensus on the establishment of state police. I do not think there is any serious debate about its necessity. It is something the President has advocated and spoken about consistently since last year.” He said President Tinubu would receive a comprehensive briefing on the outcome of the meeting and the progress made toward actualising the long-awaited security reform.
The push for state police has gained renewed momentum amid growing concerns over insecurity and increasing calls for a more decentralised policing structure capable of addressing local security challenges across the federation.
