The Presidency on Thursday said significant progress had been made towards the establishment of state police in Nigeria.
This online medium reports that the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the constitutional amendments required for the implementation of state police were expected soon.
Gbajabiamila spoke after a consultative meeting on state police convened by the Presidency at the State House, Abuja.
In a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Gbajabiamila said discussions on the state police framework began several months ago following a directive by President Bola Tinubu.
He said the process had now reached the stage of considering the required constitutional amendments.
He stated, “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.
“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.
“Hopefully, the amendment will come shortly, and the details of the amendment will come after that.”
The Chief of Staff said the immediate focus was on constitutional amendment, while enabling legislation would follow afterwards.
“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 push for state police has gained momentum amid persistent security challenges, including banditry, insurgency and kidnapping.
Critics of the current centralised policing system argue that the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is overstretched, under-resourced and often disconnected from local security realities.
Some states have already established regional and local security outfits, such as Amotekun in the South-West, but these operate without full constitutional backing.
Gbajabiamila said there was growing national consensus on the need for state police.
According to him, discussions had moved beyond whether state police should be adopted to how the proper legal and institutional framework should be developed.
He said Tinubu would receive a comprehensive report on the outcome of the meeting.
The meeting was part of ongoing consultations by the Federal Government to develop a workable framework for state police.
Those present included Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), and other senior government officials.
The Federal Government said a decentralised policing structure would strengthen grassroots security, improve intelligence gathering and enhance protection of lives and property across the country.
