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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Presidency on Thursday signalled what it described as a breakthrough in its long-running effort to establish state police, saying a constitutional amendment to enable the reform was close and would be followed by enabling laws.
“We started deliberations in the last three, four months on how to go about the establishment of state police as directed by Mr President,” Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila told State House correspondents after a special meeting convened to push the process forward. “Establishing the state police is not something that you do with a wave of the hand or a snap of a finger.”
The Chief of Staff said the meeting was part of sustained work to manage the complex legal and constitutional issues surrounding any move to devolve policing powers.
“There’s a lot involved in terms of the constitution and legalities,” he said. “And thank God now we are — we, a lot of traction, we’ve gained a lot of traction. Hopefully the amendment will come shortly and then the details of the amendment will come after that.”
Gbajabiamila spelt out the intended sequence of reforms. “Right now what we’re looking at is the constitutional amendment itself, and then the enabling law will follow thereafter,” he said. “So that’s what we’ve been deliberating on in the last couple of hours.”
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He underlined that the state police initiative was a priority for President Bola Tinubu and that the administration believed there was broad national support for the change. “We know that there’s a national consensus on the establishment of state police. I don’t think there is any debate on that,” Gbajabiamila said. “It is something that the president has wanted and has been talking about for some time since last year, and he will be giving a full report on this meeting and the outcome of this meeting.”
On expectations for timing and the next public update, Gbajabiamila was optimistic but cautious. “Hopefully the amendment will come shortly,” he said, reiterating that detailed legislative work would follow the constitutional changes. “And then the details of the amendment will come after that.”
Gbajabiamila echoed that approach, indicating the administration was prioritising legal clarity before moving to operational frameworks. “There’s a lot involved in terms of the constitution and legalities,” he reiterated.
The announcement came amid renewed public debate over how best to tackle Nigeria’s security challenges. Proponents of state policing argued that devolved units could be more responsive to local needs, while critics warned of risks such as politicisation and uneven standards.
Gbajabiamila added that President Tinubu would be given a full report on the meeting and its outcome, signalling that further details would be made public in the coming weeks as the amendment process advanced.
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, Tunji Disu, among other senior government officials.
