National Assembly Passes State Police Bill as Tinubu Inaugurates Panel to Draft National Policing Law By Okwo romeon Abuja

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has inaugurated a Presidential Working Group to prepare the National Policing Bill, the legal framework required to operationalise state police across Nigeria following the passage of the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026 by the National Assembly.

The President, represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, inaugurated the committee on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The constitutional amendment establishes a dual policing structure comprising the Federal Police Service and 36 State Police Services. However, President Tinubu explained that the National Policing Bill would provide the legal framework for implementing the new policing system.

According to the President, the proposed legislation will set out minimum policing standards, state readiness certification, federal-state coordination mechanisms, accountability measures, human rights safeguards, and fiscal conditions necessary for the effective operation of state police.

He said the Working Group was established to produce an implementation-ready draft bill for transmission to the National Assembly immediately after the constitutional amendment process is completed, stressing that government should not wait until the amendment is fully concluded before beginning the legislative work.

Gbajabiamila will chair the committee, whose members include the Attorney-General of the Federation, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors' Forum, 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.

Speaking on behalf of the Nigeria Governors' Forum, Dapo Abiodun pledged the commitment of state governors to ensuring the speedy implementation of the reform. He said governors would work with their respective State Houses of Assembly to secure the ratification of the constitutional amendment.

Abiodun described state police as a response to Nigerians' long-standing demand for community-based policing and said the reform builds on the success of regional security outfits such as Amotekun.

He noted that if each state recruits about 6,000 personnel, nearly 200,000 additional officers would be added to complement the existing federal police force.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, described the initiative as timely given Nigeria's current security challenges. He urged governors to facilitate the early passage of the constitutional amendment in their respective State Houses of Assembly.

Also speaking, Afam Osigwe reaffirmed the Nigerian Bar Association's support for the creation of state police, arguing that a single national police force can no longer effectively police Nigeria.

He, however, stressed the importance of strong legal safeguards to ensure accountability, prevent abuse of power, and protect the rights of citizens.

The inauguration was attended by Attorneys-General and Commissioners for Justice from Plateau, Lagos and Ondo States, representatives of the Inspector-General of Police and the National Security Adviser, as well as other senior government officials.

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