The Presidency has announced significant progress toward the establishment of state police in Nigeria, revealing that a constitutional amendment to enable its implementation is expected soon.
Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed this on Thursday while briefing State House correspondents after a consultative meeting on state police held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
According to Gbajabiamila, discussions on the proposed state police framework began several months ago following a directive from President Bola Tinubu. He said consultations involving the Executive, the National Assembly, and security agencies have gained substantial momentum.
“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 establishing state police requires extensive constitutional and legal considerations, stressing that the process cannot be rushed.
“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,” Gbajabiamila stated.
The Chief of Staff explained that attention is currently focused on securing the necessary constitutional amendment, after which enabling legislation will be introduced to provide the operational framework.
“Hopefully, the amendment will come shortly, and the details of the amendment will come after that,” he added.
Gbajabiamila said the national conversation has moved beyond whether state police should be created, with stakeholders now concentrating on developing the legal and institutional structures required for its successful implementation.
He added that President Tinubu, a long-time advocate of state policing, would receive a detailed report on the outcome of the consultations.
The meeting formed part of ongoing efforts by the Federal Government to develop a workable framework for state police as a strategy to strengthen internal security, improve intelligence gathering at the grassroots, and enhance the ability of state governments to tackle emerging security threats.
Among those who attended the meeting were Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi, and Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu, alongside other senior government officials.
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