President Bola Tinubu has inaugurated the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill to prepare the legal framework for the implementation of state police across the country.
Represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, the President inaugurated the committee at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
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 that although the constitutional amendment establishes the framework for state police, the National Policing Bill would provide the legal basis 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.”
He said the proposed legislation would address minimum policing standards, state readiness certification, federal-state coordination, accountability, human rights safeguards, personnel transition, and fiscal requirements.
The President stressed that the committee had been constituted to produce a technically sound, implementation-ready draft bill for transmission to the National Assembly immediately after the constitutional amendment process.
He added that the committee would also recommend other legal instruments required for the smooth implementation of the dual policing system.
“We must not wait until the constitutional process is concluded before beginning this important assignment,” he said.
Gbajabiamila will chair the committee, whose members include the Attorney-General of the Federation, 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 the committee’s secretariat.
Speaking on behalf of the NGF, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State pledged the governors’ support for the speedy implementation of the reform.
He said all 36 governors were committed to accelerating work on the bill once it reaches their respective State Houses of Assembly.
“The plan is that when the bill gets to our various Houses of Assembly, we will all pass it on the same day,” he said.
Abiodun described the proposed state police as a response to Nigerians’ long-standing demand for community-based policing.
“This bill has answered the cries of Nigerians about decentralising policing and removing it from the Exclusive Legislative List.”
He said the initiative also validated the success of regional security outfits such as Amotekun in the South-West.
According to him, state police would significantly increase the country’s security manpower.
“If each state deploys about 6,000 personnel, we will add nearly 200,000 officers to complement the existing federal police.”
The governor also commended Tinubu for commencing implementation planning before the constitutional amendment process was concluded.
“This inauguration demonstrates the proactiveness of the Executive in preparing for effective implementation,” Abiodun said.
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Lateef Fagbemi, described the initiative as timely in view of the country’s security challenges.
“There is no denying the fact that we are at a critical moment security-wise, and all hands must be on deck.”
Fagbemi urged governors to ensure the speedy ratification of the constitutional amendment by their respective State Houses of Assembly.
“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, Mr Afam Osigwe, reaffirmed the association’s support for the state police initiative.
“Nigeria can hardly be effectively policed by one national police. We fully support the constitutional amendment providing for state police.”
Osigwe, however, stressed the need for adequate legal safeguards to prevent abuse of state police powers.
“We must ensure we do not create a monster. The right legal framework must guarantee accountability and prevent oppression.”
He pledged the NBA’s commitment to supporting the committee in producing legislation that would strengthen national security while protecting the rights of citizens.
