By Kofoworola Fakeye, JKNewsMedia Reporter
PROGRESS TOWARDS establishing state police has advanced significantly, with a constitutional amendment expected soon following months of consultations among the Executive, 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 state police convened by the Presidency at the State House, Abuja.
Gbajabiamila said deliberations on the proposed state police framework began several months ago following a directive by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and noted that the process had gained considerable traction.
He said establishing state police requires careful consideration of constitutional and legal issues and cannot be implemented hastily.
“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.
“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.
“Hopefully, the amendment will come shortly, and the details of the amendment will come after that.”
He said discussions had advanced to the point of considering the necessary constitutional amendments, with the enabling legislation to follow afterwards.
“Right now, what we are looking at is the constitutional amendment itself, and then the enabling law would follow thereafter. That is what we have been deliberating on in the last couple of hours,” he added.
Gbajabiamila said there was broad national support for the initiative and stated that discussions were now focused on creating the appropriate legal and institutional framework for its operation.
He also said President Tinubu would receive a comprehensive report on the outcome of the meeting.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said on June 4, 2026, that the meeting formed part of a series of consultations convened by the Federal Government to develop a workable framework for the establishment of state police.
According to Onanuga, the initiative is aimed at strengthening internal security, improving local intelligence gathering and enhancing the capacity of sub national governments to address emerging security challenges across the country.
The meeting was attended by the Deputy President of the Senate, Jibrin Barau, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, the Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu, and other senior government officials.
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