24 STATE ASSEMBLIES APPROVE STATE POLICE AMENDMENT — GBAJABIAMILA

Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, has announced that 24 state Houses of Assembly have approved a constitutional amendment aimed at establishing state police in Nigeria.

The development marks a step in the ongoing constitutional reform process to allow states to establish their own police forces alongside the existing federal policing structure.

Supporters of state police have argued that decentralising policing could enable security agencies to respond more quickly to local threats and address security challenges based on the needs of individual states.

However, the proposal has also generated debate over funding, accountability, political interference and safeguards to prevent the possible misuse of state-controlled security forces.

Constitutional amendments in Nigeria require approval by at least two-thirds of the state Houses of Assembly, alongside the required majority in the National Assembly, before they can become law.

Although Gbajabiamila’s announcement indicates progress, further details are needed to establish the remaining legislative steps and the timeline for implementing state police.