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 Nigeria.
The President, represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, inaugurated the committee on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The move follows the passage of the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026, by the National Assembly, which proposes a dual policing structure 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 proposed National Policing Bill will provide the legal and operational structure needed for its implementation.
He said the legislation would address critical issues such as minimum policing standards, state readiness certification, federal-state coordination, accountability mechanisms, human rights safeguards and fiscal conditions.
Tinubu explained that the committee had been constituted to produce an implementation-ready draft bill for transmission to the National Assembly immediately after the constitutional amendment process is completed.
“We must not wait until the constitutional process is concluded before beginning this important assignment,” the President said.
Gbajabiamila will chair the working group, with members including 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 governors, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun pledged the support of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum for the speedy implementation of the reform.
He said governors would work to ensure the constitutional amendment receives swift approval from their respective state Houses of Assembly, describing state police as a response to Nigerians’ long-standing demand for community-based policing.
Abiodun noted that successful regional security initiatives such as Amotekun had demonstrated the value of decentralised policing and said state police could add nearly 200,000 personnel to complement the existing federal police if each state recruits about 6,000 officers.
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 and urged governors to facilitate the early ratification of the constitutional amendment.
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 through a single national police structure.
He, however, stressed the need for strong legal safeguards to prevent abuse of the proposed state police system, insisting that the legislation must guarantee accountability and protect citizens’ rights.
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, attended the inauguration.