President Bola Tinubu has inaugurated the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill to develop the legal framework required for the implementation of state police across Nigeria.
The committee was inaugurated on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja by the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, who represented President Tinubu.
The move follows the passage of the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026, by the National Assembly, which proposes a dual policing structure consisting of the Federal Police Service and separate State Police Services in all 36 states.
According to the Presidency, while the constitutional amendment establishes the foundation for state policing, the proposed National Policing Bill will provide the detailed legal framework needed for its implementation.
The bill is expected to address issues such as minimum policing standards, certification of state readiness, coordination between federal and state police, accountability, human rights protection and funding requirements.
President Tinubu said the working group was established to prepare a comprehensive and implementation-ready draft of the National Policing Bill for submission to the National Assembly immediately after the constitutional amendment process is completed.
He stressed that work on the legislation should begin without waiting for the constitutional amendment to be fully concluded.
Gbajabiamila will chair the committee, while 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.
Speaking on behalf of the governors, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun pledged the support of all 36 state governors toward the speedy implementation of the proposed reform.
Abiodun said governors would work with their respective State Houses of Assembly to ensure the constitutional amendment is ratified as quickly as possible.
He described state policing as a long-awaited reform that would strengthen community-based security and build on the success of regional security outfits such as Amotekun.
According to the governor, if each state recruits about 6,000 police officers, the country could add nearly 200,000 security personnel to complement the existing federal police.
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), described the initiative as timely, considering the country’s current security challenges. He urged governors to facilitate the swift ratification of the constitutional amendment across their state assemblies.
The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe (SAN), also backed the creation of state police, saying Nigeria’s growing security demands require a decentralised policing system.
However, he emphasized the importance of building strong legal safeguards into the proposed law to prevent abuse of power and ensure accountability while protecting the rights of citizens.
Senior government officials, including state Attorneys-General, representatives of the Inspector-General of Police and the National Security Adviser, attended the inauguration ceremony.
