𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆: 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆, 𝗜𝗚𝗣, 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗢𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲

BY NIGERDELTA VOICE, 

Niger Delta, Nigeria.

The Presidency on Thursday held a high-level meeting with the leadership of the National Assembly and the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, to fine-tune the framework for the establishment of state police as part of efforts to address Nigeria's growing security challenges.

The meeting, which took place at the State House in Abuja, was attended by the Deputy President of the Senate, Jibrin Barau, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, and other senior government officials.

Briefing journalists after the meeting, the Chief of Staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed that significant progress had been made toward the creation of state police, with constitutional amendments expected to be introduced soon.

According to him, discussions on the proposed state police framework began several months ago following a directive from President Tinubu and have since gained substantial momentum.

"Establishing state police is not something that can be done overnight. There are constitutional and legal issues that must be carefully addressed, and we have now made considerable progress. Hopefully, the constitutional amendment will come shortly, while details of the amendment will be made public thereafter," he said.

Gbajabiamila explained that the current focus is on amending relevant sections of the Constitution, after which enabling legislation would be enacted to support the new policing structure.

He noted that consultations among the Executive, National Assembly and security agencies have moved beyond debating the necessity of state police to developing a practical legal and institutional framework for its implementation.

The Chief of Staff added that President Tinubu, a long-time advocate of state police, would receive a comprehensive report on the outcome of the deliberations.

The proposed state police system is aimed at strengthening internal security, improving local intelligence gathering, and enhancing the capacity of state governments to respond effectively to emerging security threats.

President Tinubu has repeatedly argued that a decentralized policing structure is essential to tackling Nigeria's evolving security challenges and ensuring better protection of lives and property across the country.

The latest meeting forms part of ongoing consultations by the Federal Government to develop a workable framework for the establishment of state police, a move many stakeholders believe could significantly improve grassroots security nationwide.