The Presidency on Saturday hinted that necessary constitutional amendments would be done on the issue of state police as soon as it got more support from state governors and the National Assembly.
It explained that its main focus was the expansion of the implementation of community policing as a way of tackling the nation’s security challenges.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice-President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, said these in an interview with one of our correspondents.
Akande was responding to a question on the step the Presidency intended to take to actualise state police as canvassed by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo at the opening of a security summit organised by the Senate recently.
Osinbajo had, at the event, said state police was the way to go in the face of the security challenges facing the country.
His position has since been supported by state governors.
When asked specifically if the Presidency was planning to send an executive bill to the National Assembly on the matter, Akande said the necessary constitutional amendments would be done as the issue got widespread support, especially from the federal lawmakers and state governors.
He said since there was already a presidential order for community policing to begin, which is currently the focus of the Presidency.
Akande said, “Yes, we have advocated for state police and it is gathering quite a bit of groundswell. As it gets widespread support, especially among the state governments and the National Assembly, we will be able to achieve the necessary constitutional amendments.
“For now, the main focus is to expand the implementation of community policing, which is to achieve virtually the same purpose of police personnel being very familiar with and working in close association with their local communities.
“As you know, there is already a presidential order issued for community policing to begin.”
Osinbajo had, at the summit, said with the size of Nigeria, the country could not be effectively policed centrally from Abuja, hence the need for state police.
He had said, “We cannot realistically police a country the size of Nigeria centrally from Abuja. State police and other community policing methods are clearly the way to go.”
