President Bola Tinubu has inaugurated a Presidential Working Group to draft the National Policing Bill, a landmark piece of legislation expected to provide the legal framework for implementing state police across Nigeria.
The committee was inaugurated on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja by the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, who represented the President.
The move follows the passage of the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026, by the Senate, which proposes a dual policing structure comprising the Nigeria Police Force and state police services across the country’s 36 states.
Speaking during the inauguration, President Tinubu explained that while the constitutional amendment lays the foundation for state policing, the National Policing Bill will provide the operational framework needed to make the system functional.
“The constitutional amendment bill provides the framework for dual policing, but it does not operationalise it. That responsibility rests with the National Policing Bill,” the President said.
He noted that the proposed legislation would define minimum policing standards, establish criteria for state preparedness, create mechanisms for collaboration between federal and state authorities, outline accountability measures, strengthen human rights protections, and set conditions for personnel transition.
According to the President, the committee has been assigned the responsibility of producing a technically sound and implementation-ready draft bill that will be transmitted to the National Assembly immediately after the constitutional amendment process is completed.
Tinubu added that the panel would also recommend any additional legal instruments required to ensure the seamless implementation of the proposed dual policing system.
“We must not wait until the constitutional process is concluded before beginning this important assignment,” he added.
Gbajabiamila will chair the committee, which includes the Lateef Fagbemi, the National Security Adviser, the Inspector-General of Police, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), the Chairman of the NGF Committee on State Police, and members of the committee’s secretariat.
Representing the governors, Dapo Abiodun assured the Presidency of the NGF’s full support for the initiative.
He revealed that state governors had agreed to work towards the simultaneous passage of the constitutional amendment by their respective state Houses of Assembly once it is transmitted.
“The plan is that when the bill gets to our various Houses of Assembly, we will all pass it on the same day,” Abiodun said.
He described state policing as a long-awaited response to Nigerians’ demand for a decentralised and community-focused security system.
According to him, the reform builds on the successes recorded by regional security outfits such as Amotekun in the South-West.
Abiodun further argued that establishing state police would significantly strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture by increasing the number of law enforcement officers nationwide.
“If each state recruits about 6,000 officers, nearly 200,000 additional personnel will complement the existing federal police,” he said.
The governor also commended Tinubu for initiating implementation plans before the constitutional amendment process had been concluded, describing the move as evidence of proactive governance.
Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, described the initiative as timely in view of Nigeria’s current security challenges.
He urged state governors to ensure the constitutional amendment receives swift approval in their various legislatures.
“There is no denying that we are at a critical point in our security situation, and all stakeholders must play their part,” Fagbemi said.
Also speaking, NBA President Afam Osigwe reaffirmed the association’s support for state policing, maintaining that a single national police force could no longer adequately address Nigeria’s growing security demands.
He, however, cautioned that the enabling legislation must include strong safeguards to prevent abuse by state authorities.
“We must ensure that we do not create another problem. The legal framework must guarantee accountability and protect citizens from oppression,” Osigwe said.
He pledged the NBA’s commitment to supporting the development of legislation capable of strengthening national security while protecting constitutional rights and upholding the rule of law.
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