The Federal Government says work on the constitutional framework required for the establishment of state police is now at an advanced stage, signalling a major step toward decentralising Nigeria’s policing system amid worsening security challenges.
The Presidency disclosed that months of consultations involving the executive, the National Assembly, and security chiefs have significantly progressed, with attention now shifting to constitutional amendments that will make state policing legally possible.
The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, gave the update on Thursday after a high-level meeting held at the State House, Abuja, on the proposed state police structure.
Gbajabiamila said the reform process, initiated on the directive of President Bola Tinubu, had moved from broad consultations into a more technical and legislative phase.
According to him, “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 you do with the snap of the fingers. There is a lot involved in terms of constitutional and legalities, and we have now gained a lot of traction.”
He added that the immediate focus was on constitutional amendment, while enabling legislation would follow thereafter to define operational structures, funding, and oversight mechanisms.
“Right now, what we are looking at is the constitutional amendment itself, and then the enabling law would follow thereafter,” he said.
The meeting was attended by key national security and legislative figures, including the Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu, and Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi.
Also present was the Minister of Justice and senior officials from the security architecture review committee.
Presidency sources said the reform enjoys widening consensus across political and security circles, with debates now focused less on whether state police should be created and more on how it should function without undermining national cohesion.
President Tinubu, who has repeatedly described decentralised policing as necessary to tackle Nigeria’s rising insecurity, is expected to receive a comprehensive report of the ongoing consultations in the coming weeks.
The push for state police comes amid persistent security concerns, including kidnappings and violent attacks in several parts of the country, which have renewed calls for a locally responsive policing system.
Supporters argue that state-controlled policing will improve intelligence gathering at the grassroots and enable faster response to emergencies, while critics warn of risks of political abuse by state authorities and possible inter-communal tensions.
The proposed reform also follows heightened public pressure after recent violent incidents in parts of the country, including school abductions that have intensified national debate on security restructuring.
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