*Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the Nigerian President, highlights progress made on the Federal Government’s move to formulate the framework State Police constitutional framework, noting this requires careful consideration of constitutional and legal issues
Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect
The Nigerian Presidency has said the country recorded significant progress towards establishing State Police outfit, with a constitutional amendment expected soon.
ConsumerConnect reports the latest development on the State Police idea followed months of consultations among the Executive, the National Assembly (NASS), and security authorities.
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Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff (CoS) to the President, disclosed gave the update Thursday, June 4, 2026, while briefing State House Correspondents after a consultative meeting on State Police.
Gbajabiamila noted the Presidency had convened the meeting held in the State House, Abuja, FCT, to brief the stakeholders in the progress towards introducing a State Police concept in Nigeria.
The CoS to the President also told reporters that deliberations on the proposed State Police framework began several months ago, following a directive by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He declared that the process has gained considerable traction since then.
Gbajabiamila explained that establishing State Police requires careful consideration of constitutional and legal issues, and could not be implemented “hastily”.
He stated: “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 that you do with the snap of the fingers.”
The CoS further noted: “There is a lot involved in terms of constitution and legalities, and 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.”
Discussions, he stated, have now advanced to the point of considering the necessary constitutional amendments, with the enabling legislation to follow afterwards.
The Chief of Staff said: “Right now, what we are looking at is the constitutional amendment itself, and then the enabling law would follow thereafter.
“That is what we have been deliberating on in the last couple of hours.”
He also highlighted broad national support for the initiative.
Gbajabiamila as well emphasised the debate is no longer about whether State Police should be established in Nigeria, but about creating the “appropriate legal and institutional framework” for its operation.
He equally recalled that President Tinubu has consistently advocated State Police as part of efforts at strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture, as he would receive a comprehensive report on the outcome of the meeting in Abuja.
Mr. Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, after the meeting Wednesday also stated that the stakeholder engagement was part of a series of consultations convened by the Federal Government to develop a workable framework for the establishment of State Police.
The Presidency described the policing concept as an initiative aimed at “strengthening internal security, improving local intelligence gathering and enhancing the capacity of sub-national governments to address emerging security challenges across the country.”
The statement noted President Tinubu has maintained in the last few months that State Police is a necessary response to Nigeria’s evolving security challenges.
The Nigerian leader has also advocated that a decentralised policing structure will strengthen grassroots security, enhance intelligence gathering and improve the protection of lives and property across the country.
The Deputy President of the Senate, Jibrin Barau; Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu; Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi; and Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Tunji Disu, among other senior government officials attended the meeting.
