President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday inaugurated the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill to develop the legal framework for implementing state police across Nigeria.
The inauguration, held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, was conducted on the President’s behalf by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, according to a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
The move 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.
According to the Presidency, 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 set out the legal and operational requirements for the new policing structure, including minimum policing standards, state readiness certification, federal-state coordination, accountability mechanisms, human rights safeguards and fiscal conditions.
“The Working Group has been constituted to produce a technically robust, implementation-ready draft National Policing Bill for transmission to the National Assembly,” the President said.
Tinubu stressed the need to begin work before the constitutional amendment process is completed.
“We must not wait until the constitutional process is concluded before beginning this important assignment,” he said.
The statement said Gbajabiamila would chair the working group, whose members include 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. The committee will be supported by a secretariat.
Speaking on behalf of the governors, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun pledged the NGF’s support for the speedy implementation of the reform.
He said governors would work to ensure the constitutional amendment is promptly considered and passed by their respective state Houses of Assembly.
Abiodun described the proposed state police system as a response to Nigerians’ longstanding demand for community-based policing and greater decentralisation of law enforcement.
“This bill has answered the cries of Nigerians about cascading policing and removing it from the Exclusive Legislative List,” he said.
He added that the initiative builds on the success of regional security outfits such as Amotekun in the South-West and would significantly boost 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,” Abiodun said.
He also commended the President for initiating implementation plans before the constitutional amendment process is concluded.
“This inauguration demonstrates the proactiveness of the Executive in preparing for effective implementation,” he added.
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 urged governors to facilitate the speedy ratification of the constitutional amendment by their state assemblies.
“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.
The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe, also endorsed the state police initiative, saying Nigeria could 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.
Osigwe, however, cautioned that the new policing arrangement must be backed by strong legal safeguards to prevent abuse.
“We must ensure we do not create a monster. The right legal framework must guarantee accountability and prevent oppression,” he said.
He pledged the NBA’s support for the committee in drafting legislation that strengthens security while protecting citizens’ rights.
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.
