The Federal Government has made significant progress toward the establishment of state police, with a constitutional amendment expected soon to pave the way for its implementation, the Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has said.

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.

He said deliberations on the proposed framework began several months ago following a directive by President Bola Tinubu and have now advanced to the stage of considering the required constitutional amendments.

“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,” he said.

According to him, discussions are currently focused on constitutional amendments, after which enabling legislation will be developed to operationalise the new policing structure.

Gbajabiamila noted that there is broad national consensus on the need for state police, adding that the focus has shifted from whether it should be established to creating the appropriate legal and institutional framework for its operation.

He said President Tinubu, a long-time advocate of state police, would receive a comprehensive report on the outcome of the meeting.

The consultative meeting forms part of ongoing efforts by the Federal Government to develop a workable framework for state police as a means of strengthening internal security, improving intelligence gathering and enhancing the capacity of state governments to address security challenges.

Among those who attended the meeting were Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu and other senior government officials.