The Presidency has urged Nigerians to submit their views on the proposed National Policing Bill before the public consultation closes at 5pm on Thursday, 13 August 2026.
The Chief of Staff to the President and Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, Femi Gbajabiamila, made the appeal on Wednesday, saying public input would help shape legislation on the proposed establishment of state police.
Gbajabiamila said the consultation was intended to draw on the experiences and professional expertise of Nigerians, particularly in addressing concerns over political interference, police misconduct, oversight and intelligence-sharing between federal and state police services.
He stressed that the consultation would not diminish the role of the National Assembly, which would retain the authority to scrutinise, amend, reject or pass the Bill once it is formally transmitted.
According to him, Nigerians should pay particular attention to safeguards against political interference, mechanisms for investigating serious police misconduct and arrangements for intelligence-sharing between federal and state police, including across state boundaries.
“For too long, the debate has been framed as a choice between effective local policing and protection from political abuse. Nigeria needs both,” Gbajabiamila said.
He said the proposed reform could bring policing closer to communities while maintaining national standards, independent oversight and protections for citizens.
Gbajabiamila, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, acknowledged that state police could improve responses to local security challenges because officers familiar with a community’s language, geography and crime patterns could be better placed to gather intelligence and respond to threats.
However, he warned that the proximity of state police to state governments created legitimate concerns about political interference and abuse of power.
“The concern that governors might use state police against political opponents, minority communities or dissenting voices is serious and must be answered in the design of the law,” he said.
He added that state police services would have to operate within their lawful jurisdictions while remaining subject to the Constitution, human rights obligations and the rule of law.
The proposed framework, he said, should provide for proper recruitment, training, equipment and supervision of officers, while ensuring that members of the public have access to credible complaints and independent oversight mechanisms.
Gbajabiamila said the reform was intended to create a policing system that was “closer, faster and better informed by local conditions”, while ensuring that citizens were protected from abuse regardless of their political affiliation.
“The law must protect citizens regardless of who holds office. It must protect opposition parties, peaceful protesters, journalists and minority communities,” he said.
“It must make unlawful orders easier to resist, misconduct easier to investigate and political interference harder to hide.”
Constitutional amendment required
Gbajabiamila explained that the Constitution currently provides for a single police force, the Nigeria Police Force, under Section 214. Consequently, a constitutional amendment is required before state police can be established.
He said both chambers of the National Assembly had approved proposed constitutional amendments providing for a Federal Police Service and State Police Services, but the process had yet to be completed.
The remaining stages include transmission of the proposed amendment to the state Houses of Assembly, where it must secure approval from at least 24 of the 36 states before proceeding to the President for assent.
Gbajabiamila emphasised that state police therefore remained a proposal until the constitutional process was completed.
Meanwhile, he said the Presidential Working Group was developing the National Policing Bill alongside the constitutional amendment process.
The Bill is expected to establish national standards covering recruitment, vetting, training, remuneration, pensions, equipment and professional conduct. It would also provide rules governing the use of force, complaints, discipline, independent oversight, intelligence-sharing and co-operation between federal and state police services.
Gbajabiamila stressed that constitutional approval and enactment of the Bill would not automatically result in the creation of state police nationwide.
Each state that decides to establish its own police service would still require enabling legislation, appropriate institutions and funding, as well as compliance with national operational requirements.
“Each state that chooses to establish a service will still need its own enabling law, institutions and funding. It must also meet the national conditions for operation before its officers can begin policing,” he said.
States that choose not to establish their own police services would continue to be served by the Nigeria Police Force.
The Presidency is urging Nigerians to use the remaining consultation period to make submissions that could help shape the proposed framework, particularly on accountability, safeguards against political abuse and co-operation between federal and state security authorities.
