By Mary Onyia
The Federal Government says significant progress has been made toward the establishment of state police, with attention now focused on securing a constitutional amendment that will provide the legal foundation for its implementation.
Speaking after a high-level meeting on Thursday, Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, said discussions directed by President Bola Tinubu had intensified over the past three to four months, covering the constitutional, legal and operational requirements needed to create a decentralised policing system. He expressed optimism that the proposed amendment would be introduced soon, while the necessary enabling legislation would follow.
Gbajabiamila stressed that state police cannot be created through executive action alone, noting that the process requires extensive constitutional and legislative procedures. According to him, the immediate priority is obtaining the constitutional amendment, after which lawmakers will work out the details of the operational framework. He added that there now appears to be broad national consensus on the need for state police, a reform President Tinubu has consistently advocated, and said the President would be fully briefed on the outcome of the deliberations.
The debate over state police has gained renewed urgency amid worsening insecurity, including frequent kidnappings, killings and bandit attacks across parts of the country. Advocates argue that decentralising policing would improve intelligence gathering and response to local security threats, while critics have raised concerns about possible abuse by state governments. Despite the reservations, calls for the reform have continued to grow as authorities seek more effective ways to tackle Nigeria’s security challenges.