State policing in Nigeria moved a step closer to reality on Tuesday as President Bola Tinubu inaugurated the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill to develop the legal framework for the implementation of state police across the country.
The President, represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, inaugurated the committee at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, following the passage of the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026, by the National Assembly.
President Tinubu said that 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 would provide the legal structure required to operationalise the reform.
He said the proposed legislation would contain provisions on minimum policing standards, state readiness certification, federal-state coordination, accountability, human rights safeguards and fiscal conditions to ensure the smooth implementation of state police nationwide.
The President explained that the working group had been constituted to produce a technically robust and implementation-ready draft National Policing Bill for transmission to the National Assembly immediately after the constitutional amendment process is completed, stressing that work must begin now to avoid delays.
Gbajabiamila will chair the committee, whose membership includes the Attorney-General of the Federation, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, 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, Dapo Abiodun pledged governors’ support for the reform, assuring that efforts would be intensified to secure the speedy ratification of the constitutional amendment by the 36 state houses of assembly.
Abiodun described the proposed state police as a response to Nigerians’ long-standing demand for community-based policing, noting that it would build on the success of regional security outfits such as Amotekun and significantly increase security personnel across the country.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, described the initiative as timely in view of Nigeria’s security challenges and urged governors to ensure the constitutional amendment is passed without delay by their respective state legislatures.
President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe, also endorsed the initiative but stressed the need for adequate legal safeguards to ensure accountability, protect citizens’ rights and prevent abuse of the proposed state police system.
The inauguration was attended by Attorneys-General and Commissioners for Justice from Plateau, Lagos and Ondo states, representatives of the National Security Adviser and the Inspector-General of Police, as well as other senior government officials.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
