President Bola Tinubu has inaugurated a Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill to develop the legal framework required for the implementation of state police across Nigeria.
The committee was inaugurated on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, by the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, who represented the President and will serve as chairman of the working group.
Members of the committee include the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), 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 Secretariat.
The inauguration followed the Senate’s passage of the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026, which proposes a dual policing structure comprising the Federal Police Service and 36 State Police Services.
Tinubu said the constitutional amendment would establish the framework for state police, while the proposed National Policing Bill would provide the legal foundation 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 said the proposed legislation would address critical issues including minimum policing standards, state readiness, federal and state coordination, accountability, human rights protection and conditions for personnel transition.
“The proposed National Policing Bill will include provisions on minimum policing standards, state readiness certification, federal-state coordination, accountability, human rights safeguards and fiscal conditions,” he added.
The President said the working group was established to produce a technically sound and implementation-ready draft of the bill for onward transmission to the National Assembly.
“The Working Group has been constituted to produce a technically robust, implementation-ready draft National Policing Bill for transmission to the National Assembly,” he said.
He added that the committee would also recommend additional legal instruments required for the smooth operation of the proposed dual policing system.
“We must not wait until the constitutional process is concluded before beginning this important assignment,” Tinubu said.
The Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), described the initiative as timely, given Nigeria’s current security challenges.
“There is no denying the fact that we are in a critical moment security-wise, and all hands must be on deck,” Fagbemi said.
He urged state governors to ensure the speedy ratification of the constitutional amendment by their respective state Houses of Assembly, describing the reform as a shared responsibility.
The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe (SAN), also expressed support for the establishment of state police, saying Nigeria’s security challenges required a more decentralised policing structure.
“Nigeria can hardly be effectively policed by one national police. We fully support the constitutional amendment providing for state police,” Osigwe said.
However, he cautioned that the legal framework must contain adequate safeguards to prevent abuse and ensure accountability.
“We must ensure we do not create a monster. The right legal framework must guarantee accountability and prevent oppression,” he said.
Osigwe pledged the NBA’s support in helping the committee develop legislation that would strengthen security while protecting citizens’ rights.
Representing the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun pledged the commitment of state governors to ensuring speedy implementation of the reform.
He said governors would work towards the swift passage of the amendment once it reaches their respective state assemblies.
“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.
The governor described state police as a response to Nigerians’ long-standing demand for community-based policing, adding that the reform would remove policing from the Exclusive Legislative List.
He said the initiative reflected the effectiveness of community security models such as Amotekun in the South-West.
“This bill has validated the effectiveness of community policing as demonstrated by Amotekun in the South-West,” he said.
Abiodun added that state police would significantly increase the number of security personnel available nationwide, noting that if each state deployed about 6,000 personnel, the country could gain nearly 200,000 additional officers to complement the Federal Police Service.
He commended President Tinubu for beginning implementation planning before the completion of the constitutional amendment process, describing the move as evidence of proactive leadership.
