By Peace Udugba
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has inaugurated the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill to develop the legal framework for the implementation of state police across Nigeria.
Represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, at the inauguration held on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, President Tinubu said the committee would prepare an implementation-ready draft bill to complement the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026, recently passed by the National Assembly.
According to the President, while the constitutional amendment establishes the framework for a dual policing system comprising the Federal Police Service and 36 State Police Services, the National Policing Bill will provide the legal structure needed for its effective implementation.
He explained that the proposed legislation would cover minimum policing standards, state readiness certification, federal-state coordination, accountability, human rights safeguards, and fiscal conditions required for the operation of state police.
Tinubu said the committee was inaugurated before the conclusion of the constitutional amendment process to avoid unnecessary delays, stressing that the working group had been tasked with producing a technically sound draft bill for transmission to the National Assembly.
Gbajabiamila will chair the committee, which 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.
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. He said governors would work to ensure the constitutional amendment receives prompt approval by their respective State Houses of Assembly.
Abiodun described the proposed state police as a response to Nigerians’ long-standing demand for community-based policing, noting that regional security outfits such as Amotekun have demonstrated the benefits of decentralised security.
He added that if each state recruits about 6,000 officers, nearly 200,000 additional security personnel would be deployed nationwide to complement the existing federal police.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), described the initiative as timely, given the country’s security challenges. He urged governors to facilitate the swift ratification of the constitutional amendment by their state legislatures.
Also speaking, NBA President Afam Osigwe reaffirmed the association’s support for the establishment of state police, saying Nigeria could no longer be effectively policed by a single national force.
He, however, stressed the need for strong legal safeguards to prevent abuse, emphasizing that the legislation must guarantee accountability and protect citizens’ rights.
The inauguration was attended by Attorneys-General and Commissioners for Justice from Plateau, Lagos and Ondo States, representatives of the Inspector-General of Police and the National Security Adviser, as well as other senior government officials.
