State Police: Constitutional framework near completion – Presidency

Says national conversation has shifted to how best to structure its legal, institutional framework for effective operation

The Presidency, on Thursday, said significant progress has been made towards the establishment of state police, with a constitutional amendment expected in the coming weeks following extensive consultations among key stakeholders.

Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents after a high-level consultative meeting convened at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said the process, initiated on the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has advanced considerably over the past three to four months, with discussions now focused on finalising the constitutional amendment required to establish state police.

 “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,” he said.

The president’s chief of staff explained that the immediate priority is securing constitutional amendments, while enabling legislation would follow.

 “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.

 “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 added.

Gbajabiamila said that while work is ongoing on the constitutional amendment, the enabling legislation would follow once the amendment is secured.

According to him, the national conversation has shifted from whether state police should be created to how best to structure its legal and institutional framework for effective operation.

Gbajabiamila noted that President Tinubu, who has consistently advocated decentralised policing as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture, would be presented with a comprehensive report on the outcome of the consultations.

The meeting forms part of a series of engagements by the Federal Government aimed at developing a workable framework for state police, with the objective of improving internal security, enhancing intelligence gathering, and empowering sub-national governments to tackle emerging security challenges.

Among those in attendance at Thursday’s meeting were Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi among other senior government officials.