RismadarVoice Reporters
June 4, 2026
The Federal Government of Nigeria says significant progress has been made towards the establishment of state police, with a constitutional amendment expected in the near future following months of consultations among the Executive, the National Assembly and security stakeholders.
The Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed this on Thursday while briefing State House correspondents after a high-level consultative meeting on state police held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Gbajabiamila said discussions on the proposed security structure began several months ago following a directive by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, adding that the process has now reached an advanced stage.
He noted that the creation of state police involves complex constitutional and legal considerations, stressing that it cannot be implemented without due legislative procedure.
“Establishing state police is not something 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,” he said.
He added that attention has now shifted to the constitutional amendment process, which will be followed by enabling legislation to define operational details.
“Right now, what we are looking at is the constitutional amendment itself, and then the enabling law would follow thereafter,” Gbajabiamila stated.
According to him, the ongoing consultations reflect broad agreement across key institutions that the country requires a decentralised policing structure to strengthen internal security and improve intelligence gathering at the grassroots.
He said President Tinubu, who has consistently advocated for state police, would receive a full report of the deliberations, which form part of wider reforms aimed at addressing Nigeria’s evolving security challenges.
The Presidency maintains that state policing would enhance the capacity of sub-national governments to respond more effectively to local security threats and improve the protection of lives and property nationwide.
The meeting was attended by senior government officials, including the Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, and the Inspector-General of Police, among others.
