ABUJA — The Presidency on Thursday disclosed that significant progress has been made towards the establishment of state police across Nigeria, with a constitutional amendment expected in the near future.

Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, made the disclosure while briefing State House Correspondents after a consultative meeting on state police held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to Gbajabiamila, discussions on the proposed state police framework commenced several months ago following a directive from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and have since recorded substantial progress.

He noted that the creation of state police involves complex constitutional and legal processes, making it impossible to implement immediately.

“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.”

Gbajabiamila expressed optimism that the required constitutional amendment would be introduced soon, after which details of the framework would be unveiled.

He explained that current efforts are focused on securing the constitutional amendment needed to legalise state policing, while the enabling legislation would follow subsequently.

The Chief of Staff also revealed that consultations among the Executive, the National Assembly, and the security agencies have advanced considerably, adding that there is now broad national support for the initiative.

He emphasized that the debate has moved beyond whether Nigeria should have state police and is now centered on developing the appropriate legal and institutional framework for its implementation.