Tinubu Inaugurates Committee to Draft National Policing Bill for State Police Implementation

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has inaugurated the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill to prepare the legal framework for the implementation of state police across Nigeria.

The President, represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, inaugurated the committee on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The inauguration follows the passage of the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026, by the National Assembly, which proposes a dual policing system comprising the Federal Police Service and 36 State Police Services.

According to the President, while the constitutional amendment establishes the framework for state police, the National Policing Bill will provide the legal structure required to operationalise the system.

“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,” Tinubu said.

He explained that the proposed legislation would address critical issues necessary for the effective 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.

“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.

The President stressed that work on the legal framework must begin without waiting for the constitutional amendment process to be concluded.

“We must not wait until the constitutional process is concluded before beginning this important assignment,” he added.

Gbajabiamila chairs the committee, which also includes 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 for the panel.

Speaking on behalf of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun pledged the commitment of governors to ensuring the speedy implementation of the reform.

He said the plan is for all 36 state governors to fast-track consideration of the bill in their respective State Houses of Assembly once the constitutional amendment reaches them for ratification.

Abiodun described the proposed state police as a response to Nigerians’ longstanding demand for community-based policing.

“This bill has answered the cries of Nigerians about cascading policing and removing it from the Exclusive Legislative List,” he said.

The governor noted that the initiative builds on the success of regional security outfits such as Amotekun in the South-West.

According to him, if each state recruits about 6,000 personnel, nearly 200,000 additional officers would be added to complement the existing federal police.

He also commended President Tinubu for commencing implementation plans before the constitutional amendment process is completed.

“This inauguration demonstrates the proactiveness of the Executive in preparing for effective implementation,” Abiodun said.

Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, described the initiative as timely in view of the country’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.

Fagbemi appealed to state governors to facilitate the speedy ratification of the constitutional amendment by their respective legislatures.

“I appeal to the governors to do their utmost to ensure the early passage of the constitutional amendment because this is a shared responsibility,” he said.

President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe, also expressed support for the creation of state police, saying Nigeria can no longer rely solely on a centralised policing system.

“Nigeria can hardly be effectively policed by one national police. We fully support the constitutional amendment providing for state police,” he said.

However, Osigwe stressed the need for strong legal safeguards to prevent abuse of the proposed state police structure.

“We must ensure we do not create a monster. The right legal framework must guarantee accountability and prevent oppression,” he said.

He assured the committee of the NBA’s support in producing legislation that would strengthen national security while protecting the rights of citizens.

Also present at the inauguration were the Attorneys-General and Commissioners for Justice of Plateau, Lagos and Ondo States, representatives of the Inspector-General of Police and the National Security Adviser, as well as other senior government officials.