President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has inaugurated the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, as part of ongoing efforts to provide the legal framework for the implementation of state police across the country.
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The committee was inaugurated on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, on behalf of President Tinubu.
According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the inauguration followed the passage of the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026, by the National Assembly.
President Tinubu had proposed a dual policing structure comprising the Federal Police Service and 36 State Police Services.
Speaking at the inauguration, the President said the constitutional amendment would only create the broad framework for state police, while the proposed National Policing Bill would provide the legal structure needed to operationalise it.
“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 address key issues such as minimum policing standards, state readiness certification, federal-state coordination, accountability, human rights safeguards and fiscal conditions.
According to him, the working group has been constituted to produce a technically sound and implementation-ready draft bill for transmission to the National Assembly once the constitutional amendment process is completed.
“The Working Group has been constituted to produce a technically robust, implementation-ready draft National Policing Bill for transmission to the National Assembly,” he said.
Tinubu said the federal government must not wait until the constitutional process is concluded before preparing for the implementation of the reform.
“We must not wait until the constitutional process is concluded before beginning this important assignment,” the President added.
Gbajabiamila will serve as chairman of the working group. Other members include 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.
A secretariat will also provide administrative support to the committee.
Speaking on behalf of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, pledged the support of the 36 state governors for the speedy implementation of the reform.
Abiodun said governors would work to accelerate the process once the bill reaches their respective Houses of Assembly, adding that the proposed state police structure responds to the long-standing demand of Nigerians for community-based policing.
“This bill has answered the cries of Nigerians about cascading policing and removing it from the Exclusive Legislative List,” he said.
He noted that the initiative validates the success of regional security outfits such as Amotekun in the South-West.
The Ogun governor added that state police would significantly increase the number of security personnel across the country.
“If each state deploys about 6,000 personnel, we will add nearly 200,000 officers to complement the existing federal police,” Abiodun said.
He commended President Tinubu for commencing implementation plans ahead of the completion of the constitutional amendment process, describing the move as proactive.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, described the initiative as timely, given the current security challenges in the country.
“There is no denying the fact that we are in a critical moment security-wise, and all hands must be on deck,” Fagbemi said.
He urged governors to ensure the speedy ratification of the constitutional amendment by their various 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,” the AGF added.
Also speaking, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe, SAN, reaffirmed the NBA’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 said.
He, however, warned that the legal framework must contain adequate safeguards to prevent abuse of state police by political actors.
“We must ensure we do not create a monster. The right legal framework must guarantee accountability and prevent oppression,” he said.
Osigwe pledged the NBA’s support to the committee in producing legislation that would strengthen security while protecting citizens’ rights.
Also present at the inauguration were 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.
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