President Bola Tinubu has inaugurated the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, saying the implementation of state police can no longer be delayed and directing the committee to prepare the legal framework needed to operationalise the new policing structure across the country.
The working group, inaugurated at the Presidential Villa in Abuja by the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, who represented Tinubu, includes the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN); President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe (SAN); Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; and Chairman of the NGF Committee on State Police and Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun. A secretariat will provide administrative support for the committee.
The inauguration follows the National Assembly’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. Explaining the need for the committee, Tinubu said preparations for implementation should begin before the constitutional amendment process is completed. “We must not wait until the constitutional process is concluded before beginning this important assignment,” the President said.
He explained that while the constitutional amendment establishes the framework for state policing, the National Policing Bill will provide the legal and operational structure required for 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,” he said.
According to the President, the proposed legislation will address key issues including minimum policing standards, state readiness certification, federal-state coordination, accountability mechanisms, human rights safeguards and fiscal requirements. “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 stated.
Tinubu added that the working group had been tasked with producing an implementation-ready draft legislation for transmission to the National Assembly immediately after the constitutional amendment process is concluded. “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.
Speaking on behalf of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun pledged the support of state governors for the speedy implementation of the reform, saying governors would work with their respective state assemblies to fast-track the ratification process. He described state police as a response to longstanding demands for community-based policing. “This bill has answered the cries of Nigerians about cascading policing and removing it from the Exclusive Legislative List,” Abiodun said.
He added that the proposal builds on the success of regional security outfits such as Amotekun and could significantly increase the country’s policing capacity. “If each state deploys about 6,000 personnel, we will add nearly 200,000 officers to complement the existing federal police,” he said.
Abiodun also commended Tinubu for beginning implementation plans before the constitutional amendment process is completed. “This inauguration demonstrates the proactiveness of the Executive in preparing for effective implementation,” he added.
Attorney-General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi described the initiative as timely, given Nigeria’s security challenges. “There is no denying the fact that we are in a critical moment security-wise, and all hands must be on deck,” he said, urging governors to ensure the constitutional amendment is promptly ratified by their state assemblies.
NBA President Afam Osigwe also backed the proposal, arguing that Nigeria’s current policing structure is no longer adequate. “Nigeria can hardly be effectively policed by one national police. We fully support the constitutional amendment providing for state police,” he said, while stressing the need for adequate legal safeguards against abuse.
Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau defended the proposed legislation, saying it contains constitutional safeguards designed to prevent governors or other political actors from abusing state police powers. He said the bill followed years of consultations involving the Presidency, National Assembly, security agencies, policing experts and other stakeholders, as well as nationwide public hearings.
Similarly, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu said concerns about possible abuse had been addressed through strict oversight provisions. He argued that Nigeria’s centralised policing system is overstretched for a country of more than 230 million people. “No other federation of our size operates this way; from Germany to India, from Canada to Australia, the world’s great federations police locally and coordinate nationally,” Kalu said.
He added, “Our proposal follows that settled wisdom: a constitutional framework allowing states to establish their own police services, with defined jurisdictions, independent oversight, professional recruitment standards, and coordinated command.”