BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja
Following months of consultations among the Executive, National Assembly and security authorities, tangible progress has been made towards establishing state police, with a constitutional amendment expected soon.
The Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila disclosed this on Thursday while briefing State House Correspondents after a consultative meeting on state police convened by the Presidency at the State House, Abuja.
Gbajabiamila said that deliberations on the proposed state police framework began several months ago following a directive by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, adding that the process has gained considerable traction.
He explained that establishing state police requires careful consideration of constitutional and legal issues and cannot be implemented hastily.
"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. 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," Gbajabiamila added.
According to him, discussions have now advanced to the point of considering the necessary constitutional amendments, with the enabling legislation to follow afterwards.
"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.
The Chief of Staff highlighted broad national support for the initiative, emphasising that the debate is no longer about whether state police should be established but about creating the appropriate legal and institutional framework for its operation.
He said that President Tinubu, who has consistently advocated for state police as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria's security architecture, would receive a comprehensive report on the meeting's outcome.
The meeting is part of a series of consultations convened by the Federal Government to develop a workable framework for the establishment of state police, 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.
President Tinubu has maintained in the last few months that state police is a necessary response to Nigeria's evolving security challenges, advocating that a decentralised policing structure would strengthen grassroots security, enhance intelligence gathering and improve the protection of lives and property across the country.
The meeting was attended by 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, Tunji Disu, among other senior government officials.
This was contained in a statement by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga in Abuja.
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