President Bola Tinubu has inaugurated a Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, a major step towards implementing state police across Nigeria following the passage of the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026 by the National Assembly.
The committee, chaired by the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, is expected to prepare the legal framework required to operationalise state police and establish a dual policing system comprising the Federal Police Service and 36 State Police Services.
Other members include the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, Inspector-General of Police, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, and Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, who heads the NGF Committee on State Police.
Represented at the inauguration in Abuja by Gbajabiamila, Tinubu said the constitutional amendment only provides the framework for state policing, while the National Policing Bill would spell out the operational details.
He stressed that the government should not wait for the constitutional amendment process to be fully concluded before preparing the legislation needed for implementation.
“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 President said.
According to the President, the proposed legislation will address key issues including policing standards, accountability mechanisms, funding arrangements, human rights safeguards and coordination between federal and state police authorities.
He added that the working group had been mandated to produce an implementation-ready draft bill for transmission to the National Assembly immediately after the constitutional amendment process is completed.
Speaking on behalf of state governors, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun pledged the Nigeria Governors’ Forum’s commitment to supporting the speedy implementation of the proposed policing reform, describing it as a critical step towards strengthening security and improving policing at the sub-national level.
