President Bola Tinubu has inaugurated a Presidential Working Group to prepare the National Policing Bill that will provide the legal framework for the implementation of state police across Nigeria.
The committee was inaugurated on Tuesday, July 7, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja by the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, who represented the President.
According to a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the committee was constituted following the National Assembly’s passage of the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026.
The committee is headed by Chief of State to the President Femi Gbajabiamila. Other members include the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Afam Osigwe (SAB), the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq, the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuru Ribadu, the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disuse, and the Chairman of the NGF Committee on State Police, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun.
President Tinubu said the constitutional amendment alone cannot operationalise state police.
“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.”
READ ALSO: State Police Bill Raises Concerns Over Political Abuse, Implementation – Peter Obi
He explained that the proposed legislation would address issues such as minimum policing standards, state readiness, federal-state coordination, accountability, human rights safeguards and funding.
“The Working Group has been constituted to produce a technically robust, implementation-ready draft National Policing Bill for transmission to the National Assembly,” he said.
Tinubu added: “We must not wait until the constitutional process is concluded before beginning this important assignment.”
Speaking on behalf of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Dapo Abiodun welcomed the initiative and pledged governors’ support.
“This bill has answered the cries of Nigerians about cascading policing and removing it from the Exclusive Legislative List,” Abiodun said.
Attorney-General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) described the reform as timely.
“There is no denying the fact that we are in a critical moment security-wise, and all hands must be on deck,” Fagbemi said.
President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe, also backed the proposal.
“Nigeria can hardly be effectively policed by one national police. We fully support the constitutional amendment providing for state police,” Osigwe said.
He cautioned that safeguards must be included in the law, adding: “We must ensure we do not create a monster. The right legal framework must guarantee accountability and prevent oppression.”