Policing reform received a boost as President Bola Tinubu inaugurated a Presidential Working Group to draft the National Policing Bill, laying the legal framework for the implementation of state police across Nigeria.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has inaugurated the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill to develop the legal framework for implementing state police across Nigeria.
The inauguration, held on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, was performed on the President’s behalf by his Chief of Staff, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila.
The move follows the passage of the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026, by the National Assembly, which proposes a dual policing structure comprising the Federal Police Service and 36 State Police Services.
According to President Tinubu, while the constitutional amendment establishes the framework for state police, the proposed National Policing Bill will provide the legal and operational structure required for its implementation.
“The Constitution Amendment Bill establishes the framework for dual policing, but it does not operationalise it. That work is left to the National Policing Bill,” the President said.
He explained that the legislation would address key issues required for the smooth implementation of state policing, including minimum policing standards, state readiness certification, federal-state coordination, accountability, human rights safeguards and fiscal conditions.
Tinubu said the committee had been constituted to produce a technically sound and implementation-ready draft bill for transmission to the National Assembly immediately after the constitutional amendment process is completed.
He noted that beginning work before the constitutional process is concluded would prevent unnecessary delays in implementing the proposed reform.
Gbajabiamila will chair the working group, with members including the Attorney-General of the Federation, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), the National Security Adviser, the Inspector-General of Police and the Chairman of the NGF Committee on State Police. A secretariat will provide administrative support to the committee.
Speaking on behalf of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun pledged the governors’ support for the speedy implementation of the initiative.
He said all 36 state governors would work towards accelerating the consideration and passage of the constitutional amendment in their respective State Houses of Assembly.
Abiodun described the proposed state police system as a response to Nigerians’ long-standing demand for community-based policing and decentralised security.
He also said the initiative builds on the success of regional security outfits such as Amotekun in the South-West.
According to the governor, if each state recruits about 6,000 personnel, nearly 200,000 additional officers would be deployed nationwide to complement the existing Federal Police Force.
He commended President Tinubu for initiating implementation plans before the constitutional amendment process is completed, describing the move as evidence of proactive governance.
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), described the initiative as timely in view of the country’s prevailing security challenges.
He appealed to state governors to facilitate the speedy ratification of the constitutional amendment by their respective State Houses of Assembly, describing the reform as a collective national responsibility.
The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr Afam Osigwe, also expressed the association’s support for the proposed state police system.
Osigwe said Nigeria’s growing security demands require a decentralised policing structure but stressed that the enabling law must contain strong safeguards against abuse.
He said the legal framework should guarantee accountability, protect citizens’ rights and prevent the misuse of state police by political authorities.
Also present at the inauguration were Attorneys-General and Commissioners for Justice from Plateau, Lagos and Ondo states, representatives of the Inspector-General of Police and the National Security Adviser, as well as other senior government officials.
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