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ABUJA, Nigeria — The Presidency on Thursday announced that significant progress has been made toward the establishment of state police across Nigeria, with a constitutional amendment expected in the coming weeks as consultations among key stakeholders reach an advanced stage.

Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents after a high-level consultative meeting on state police held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to him, discussions on creating a state policing system began several months ago following a directive from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and have since gained substantial momentum.

Gbajabiamila said the process has moved beyond the question of whether Nigeria needs state police, stressing that current efforts are focused on developing a robust constitutional and legal framework to support its implementation.

“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.

“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.

“Hopefully, the amendment will come shortly, and the details of the amendment will come after that.”

The Chief of Staff explained that deliberations are now centred on the constitutional amendments required to pave the way for state police, with enabling legislation expected to follow.

“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 added.

Gbajabiamila emphasized that there is broad consensus among stakeholders on the need for state police as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s security architecture and address growing security challenges at the grassroots level.

He noted that President Tinubu, a long-standing advocate of decentralised policing, would be presented with a comprehensive report on the outcome of the consultations.

The meeting forms part of an ongoing series of engagements convened by the Federal Government to develop a workable framework for state police, which officials say will enhance local intelligence gathering, improve internal security operations and empower sub-national governments to respond more effectively to emerging threats.

President Tinubu has repeatedly argued that Nigeria’s evolving security challenges require a decentralised policing structure capable of delivering faster responses and better protection of lives and property across the federation.

The consultative meeting was attended by several top government officials, including Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Prince Lateef Fagbemi, and Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu, among others.

The latest development signals what could become one of the most far-reaching security reforms in Nigeria’s democratic history if the proposed constitutional amendment secures legislative approval.