State police constitutional framework near completion, says Presidency

The Presidency says the President Bola Tinubu administration has made significant progress on the proposed establishment of state police, with a constitutional amendment expected soon following ongoing consultations with the National Assembly and security authorities.

The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed this on Thursday while briefing State House correspondents after a consultative meeting on the proposed security reform held at the State House, Abuja.

Gbajabiamila said the process, which began on the directive of President Tinubu, has gained momentum over the past few months.

“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,” he said.

He noted that the initiative requires extensive legal and constitutional adjustments, stressing that it cannot be implemented hastily.

“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 said.

According to him, discussions have now progressed to the stage of constitutional amendment, with enabling legislation to follow thereafter.

“Right now, what we are looking at is the constitutional amendment itself, and then the enabling law would follow thereafter,” Gbajabiamila added.