State Police Amendment Nears Completion as FG Advances Constitutional Reforms

The Federal Government said it has made progress towards establishing State Police across the country, with a constitutional amendment expected to be unveiled in the coming weeks.

Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents after a high-level consultative meeting convened by the Presidency at the State House in Abuja.

According to Gbajabiamila, discussions on the framework for state policing commenced about three to four months ago following a directive from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“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,” he said. “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 explained that consultations have advanced beyond the debate over whether state police should be created and are now focused on refining the constitutional provisions required to support the initiative.

Gbajabiamila noted that once the constitutional amendment is completed, the government will move to enact the necessary enabling legislation to operationalise the new policing structure.

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

The Chief of Staff further stated that a growing national consensus supports state police, with stakeholders now focusing on designing an effective legal and institutional framework for its implementation.