State Police Constitutional Amendment Near Completion — Presidency

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 The Presidency on Thursday announced that efforts to establish state police in Nigeria have reached an advanced stage, with a constitutional amendment framework nearing completion after months of consultations among key stakeholders.

Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents following a consultative meeting on state police held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The development was also confirmed in a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, titled “State Police Constitutional Framework Near Completion - Presidency.”

The meeting was attended by the Deputy President of the Senate, Jibrin Barau, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, and the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, among other senior government and security officials.

Speaking after the meeting, Gbajabiamila said discussions on the creation of state police began several months ago on the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and had made significant progress.

“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,” he said.

According to the Chief of Staff, attention is currently focused on securing the necessary constitutional amendment, after which enabling legislation to operationalise the new policing structure will be introduced.

He expressed optimism that the amendment process would be concluded soon and noted that detailed provisions governing the operation of state police would follow through subsequent legislation.

Gbajabiamila explained that discussions had moved beyond the debate over whether state police should be established and were now centred on designing the legal and institutional framework required for its implementation.

He added that a comprehensive report from the meeting would be submitted to President Tinubu for consideration.

The proposal for state police has remained one of Nigeria's most debated constitutional issues since the return to democratic rule in 1999, with critics expressing concerns that governors could misuse state-controlled police formations for political purposes.

Despite those concerns, President Tinubu has consistently advocated the creation of state police as part of broader security reforms aimed at addressing insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and communal violence across the country.

The President has repeatedly urged lawmakers and state governors to support the initiative, including during meetings with political leaders and stakeholders. He also directed relevant authorities to accelerate work on the framework during consultations with Plateau State stakeholders in April and reiterated his support for the proposal in his third anniversary address on May 29.

If approved, the constitutional amendment would mark a significant shift in Nigeria's policing structure by allowing states to establish and manage their own police services alongside the existing federal policing system.

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