Politics
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has inaugurated the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill to prepare the legal framework for implementing state police across the country.
Tinubu, represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, inaugurated the committee on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The inauguration followed the National Assembly’s passage of the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026, proposing a dual policing structure comprising the Federal Police Service and 36 State Police Services.
The President said the constitutional amendment created the framework for state police, while the proposed National Policing Bill would provide the legal structure for implementation.
He said the bill would address issues relating to minimum policing standards, state readiness certification, federal-state coordination, accountability, human rights safeguards and fiscal conditions.
According to him, the committee has been constituted to produce a technically robust, implementation-ready draft bill for transmission to the National Assembly.
Tinubu said the assignment should begin immediately instead of waiting for the constitutional amendment process to be completed.
He said the proactive approach would ensure seamless implementation once the constitutional process was concluded.
Gbajabiamila chairs the committee.
Other 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.
A secretariat will provide administrative support to the committee.
Speaking on behalf of the governors, Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, pledged the support of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum for speedy implementation of the reform.
Abiodun said governors would accelerate work on the bill once it reached their respective State Houses of Assembly.
He described the proposed state police as a response to Nigerians’ long-standing demand for community-based policing.
According to him, the initiative also validates the success of regional security outfits such as Amotekun in the South-West.
The governor said state police would significantly boost the country’s security workforce.
He estimated that if each state deployed about 6,000 personnel, nearly 200,000 officers would be added to complement the existing federal police.
Abiodun commended the President for commencing implementation planning before the constitutional amendment process was completed.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, described the initiative as timely in view of Nigeria’s security challenges.
Fagbemi urged governors to facilitate speedy ratification of the constitutional amendment by their respective State Houses of Assembly.
He described the process as a shared national responsibility.
Also speaking, NBA President, Afam Osigwe, reaffirmed the association’s support for the establishment of state police.
Osigwe said Nigeria could no longer be effectively policed by a single national police structure.
He, however, stressed the need for adequate legal safeguards to prevent abuse and ensure accountability.
According to him, the legal framework must protect citizens’ rights while strengthening national security.
Osigwe pledged the NBA’s commitment to supporting the committee in producing an effective policing law.
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. (NAN)
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Tags: National Police Bill Panel Tinubu