President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday advanced his administration’s security reforms by inaugurating the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, a key step towards establishing state police and strengthening community-based policing across Nigeria.
The President, represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, inaugurated the committee at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, following the National Assembly’s passage of the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026.
The proposed constitutional amendment provides for a dual policing structure comprising the Federal Police Service and 36 State Police Services, while the National Policing Bill is expected to provide the legal framework for its implementation.
According to a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu said the proposed legislation would address critical issues required for the effective operationalisation of state police across the country.
”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,” the statement quoted the President as saying.
The President 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 a seamless implementation process.
He added that the Working Group had been constituted to produce a technically sound and implementation-ready draft bill for transmission to the National Assembly immediately after the constitutional amendment process.
”We must not wait until the constitutional process is concluded before beginning this important assignment,” Tinubu said.
The committee is chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, and comprises the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the National Security Adviser, the Inspector-General of Police, the Chairman of the NGF Committee on State Police, with a secretariat providing administrative support.
Speaking on behalf of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun pledged the support of state governors for the speedy implementation of the reform, describing state police as a response to Nigerians’ long-standing demand for community-based policing.
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 swift ratification of the constitutional amendment by their respective state assemblies.
President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr Afam Osigwe, also endorsed the state police initiative, while stressing the need for strong legal safeguards to ensure accountability and prevent abuse of the proposed policing system.
According to Onanuga, the inauguration was attended by 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.
