Nigeria moves to amend constitution for state police

The Nigerian government is advancing a significant constitutional amendment to establish state police forces, a key security reform proposed by President Bola Tinubu. After months of high-level consultations, officials announced on Thursday that the process has gained substantial traction and the necessary constitutional amendment is expected to be introduced shortly.

Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed the progress after a consultative meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. He explained that deliberations began three to four months ago following a directive from President Tinubu. The initiative aims to create a decentralized policing structure to address local security challenges more effectively.

Gbajabiamila stressed that establishing state police is a complex legislative and constitutional process rather than a simple executive action. He noted that there now appears to be a broad national consensus on the necessity of the reform. He stated that the immediate priority is finalizing the constitutional amendment, after which lawmakers will draft the enabling legislation to define the operational framework for state police across the country.