The Presidency has disclosed that efforts to establish state police in Nigeria have reached an advanced stage, with work on the required constitutional amendment nearing completion.
Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, announced this on Thursday after a consultative meeting on state policing held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The development was also confirmed in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga,
The meeting was attended by key government and security officials, including Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, and Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu.
Speaking after the meeting, Gbajabiamila said discussions on the framework for state police began several months ago following a directive from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He noted that establishing state police requires extensive constitutional and legal processes, adding that significant progress has been made in addressing the complexities involved.
According to him, attention is now focused on finalising the constitutional amendment, while the enabling legislation required to operationalise the system will be introduced afterward.
Gbajabiamila explained that stakeholders have moved beyond debating whether state police should exist and are now concentrating on the legal, administrative and institutional structures that will guide its implementation.
He added that a comprehensive report from the consultations would be submitted to President Tinubu for consideration.
State Police Proposal
The proposal for state police has remained one of Nigeria’s most debated constitutional issues since the return to democratic rule in 1999. Critics, including some northern governors and civil society groups, have previously expressed concerns that governors could misuse state-controlled police forces for political purposes.
However, the Tinubu administration has consistently advocated the creation of state police as part of broader efforts to tackle insecurity across the country. The President has repeatedly argued that decentralised policing would strengthen security responses to challenges such as insurgency in the North-East, banditry in the North-West and recurring communal conflicts in the North-Central region.
Tinubu has also urged lawmakers and state governments to support the initiative during several engagements, including meetings with governors, lawmakers and stakeholders, describing state police as a critical component of his administration’s security reform agenda.
