State Police Amendment Ready Soon — Presidency

The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed this after a high-level consultative meeting on state policing held at the State House in Abuja. His remarks were contained in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

Gbajabiamila explained that discussions on the proposed state police structure began several months ago following a directive from President Bola Tinubu, noting that the process has now advanced to the stage of addressing the necessary constitutional amendments.

He stated that the establishment of state police requires extensive legal and constitutional work, adding that substantial progress has already been achieved. He further expressed optimism that the amendment process would be concluded soon, after which detailed provisions would be outlined.

According to him, the current focus is strictly on the constitutional amendment, while supporting legislation would follow thereafter as deliberations continue.

The proposal for state police has gained renewed attention amid ongoing security challenges in parts of the country, including banditry, kidnapping, and insurgency. Advocates of the reform argue that the current centralized policing system is overstretched and less effective in addressing local security concerns.

Gbajabiamila also noted that there is now a growing national consensus on the need for decentralised policing, stating that discussions have shifted from whether state police should be introduced to how the framework should be properly structured and implemented.

He added that President Tinubu would be presented with a comprehensive report on the outcome of the consultations. The meeting was attended by key government officials, including the Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau; Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu; Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), among others.

The Federal Government maintained that a decentralised policing system would strengthen grassroots security, improve intelligence gathering, and enhance the protection of lives and property nationwide.