By Franklin Adole
The Federal Government has commenced the final legislative push for the creation of state police, unveiling a seven-week roadmap for a National Policing Bill and inviting Nigerians to help shape what could become one of the country’s most far-reaching security reforms.
The Presidential Working Group on the proposed National Policing Bill called on citizens, civil society organisations, security experts, professional bodies, academics, state governments and other stakeholders to submit memoranda and policy proposals that will guide the drafting of the landmark legislation.
Chief of Staff to the President and Chairman of the Working Group, Femi Gbajabiamila, made the announcement after a meeting of the committee at the State House, Abuja.
According to him, the proposed law is intended to provide a comprehensive legal and operational framework for the establishment of state police while maintaining national standards for professionalism, accountability and human rights.
The Working Group is reviewing the Police Act 2020, the Police Service Commission framework, police regulations and other relevant laws to produce a modern policing architecture capable of supporting a dual federal-state policing system.
Gbajabiamila said the proposed legislation would define national minimum standards, establish criteria for state readiness and certification, clarify operational jurisdictions, guarantee independent oversight, protect human rights and provide sustainable funding arrangements.
The bill will also set out an orderly transition process for states seeking to establish their own police services.
He disclosed that Nigerians would have two weeks to submit memoranda, after which the contributions would be reviewed and incorporated into the draft Executive Bill before wider national consultations.
The Working Group has adopted a seven-week work plan running from July 27 to September 14, 2026, with the draft Executive Bill scheduled for presentation to President Bola Tinubu on September 3 before transmission to the National Assembly after further consultations.
“The proposed State Police Service must demonstrate that it has credible arrangements for recruitment, vetting, training, pay, pensions, equipment, custody, complaints, discipline, data, firearms control, independent oversight, and financial sustainability before it begins policing,” Gbajabiamila said.
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, said the proposed law is designed to strengthen public security while ensuring that state police cannot be abused for political persecution.
He added that states unable to meet the required standards immediately would continue to rely on the Nigeria Police Force until they are fully prepared to establish their own police services.
Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, representing the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, described state policing as one of the most significant reforms of the Tinubu administration, dismissing concerns that the Federal Government intends to control state police.
According to him, the proposed legislation seeks only to provide a uniform operational framework rather than centralise authority over state policing.
Also present at the meeting were the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu; President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe; Chairman of the Policy Advisory Committee, Justice Abdullahi Liman (retd); Head of the Nigeria Police Reform Secretariat, Professor Olu Ogunsakin; Senior Special Assistant to the President on Planning and Research, Nnadubem Moghalu; and Brigadier General Olutayo Muyiwa Adesuyi, representing the National Security Adviser.
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