The Presidency on Thursday said after months of consultations, a constitutional amendment to permit state police is “near completion,” marking a significant step in a long-running effort to decentralize the country’s security apparatus.
Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, told State House reporters that discussions launched at President Tinubu’s direction have moved beyond the question of whether to create state forces and are now focused on the specific constitutional and legal architecture needed to do so.
He spoke after a consultative meeting at the presidential villa in Abuja that brought together senior lawmakers and security officials.
Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President Bayo Onanuga in a statement quoted Gbajabiamila as saying “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.”
The Chief of Staff added that the process “is not something that you do with the snap of the fingers” because of the constitutional complexities involved.
He said the amendment should be presented “shortly,” with enabling legislation to follow.
According to him, the discussions have advanced to the stage of drafting the necessary constitutional changes; technical details of implementation will be addressed in subsequent laws.
Gbajabiamila described broad national backing for the move, saying the debate has shifted from whether state police is desirable to how best to regulate and institutionalize it.
NewsQuest reports that President Tinubu has repeatedly argued in recent months that a decentralized policing model would bolster grassroots security, improve intelligence gathering and better protect lives and property amid mounting local threats.
The Presidency also described the consultative process as part of a wider push to strengthen internal security and expand the capacity of subnational governments to respond to emerging challenges.
Thursday’s meeting included Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu and Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu, among other senior officials.
President Tinubu is expected to receive a comprehensive report on the outcome as the administration moves toward formalizing the proposed amendments.
