The Presidency has said Nigeria is close to finalising the constitutional framework for state police, with a proposed amendment expected soon after months of consultations between the Executive, National Assembly and security authorities.
Speaking to State House Correspondents in Abuja on Thursday, Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, said deliberations began several months ago following a directive from President Bola Tinubu.
Gbajabiamila stated that the process had "gained considerable traction" but stressed that establishing state police could not be rushed due to the constitutional and legal complexities involved.
He explained discussions had now advanced to considering the necessary constitutional amendments, with enabling legislation to follow afterwards.
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"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.
"Right now, what we are looking at is the constitutional amendment itself, and then the enabling law would follow thereafter," he said.
The Chief of Staff said the debate had moved beyond whether state police should exist to how the appropriate legal and institutional framework for its operation would be created.
He added that Tinubu, who has consistently argued that decentralised policing is needed to tackle Nigeria’s evolving security challenges, would receive a comprehensive report on the meeting’s outcome.
Thursday’s consultative meeting, convened by the Presidency at the State House, was attended by Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tunji Disu and other senior officials.
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