RismadarVoice Reporters
August 4, 2026
The Federal Government of Nigeria has launched a seven-week roadmap for the development of the proposed National Policing Bill, inviting Nigerians and key stakeholders to submit memoranda and policy proposals to shape the legal framework for the establishment of state police across the country.
The announcement was made on Monday by the Chief of Staff to the President and Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, after a meeting of the committee at the State House, Abuja.
Gbajabiamila stated that the Working Group is reviewing the Police Act 2020, the Police Service Commission framework, police regulations, and other relevant laws to develop a modern and effective policing system that supports the proposed dual-policing structure.
According to him, the proposed legislation will establish national minimum standards for policing, define requirements for state readiness and certification, clarify the jurisdictions of federal and state police, strengthen independent oversight, protect human rights and provide sustainable funding mechanisms.
He disclosed that the committee had opened a two-week window for the submission of memoranda by citizens, civil society organisations, professional bodies, academics, security agencies, and state and local governments.
The submissions, he said, will be incorporated into the draft Executive Bill before wider national consultations and eventual transmission to the National Assembly.
The Presidential Working Group has adopted a seven-week work plan running from July 27 to September 14, 2026, with the draft Executive Bill expected to be presented to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on September 3.
Gbajabiamila stressed that no state would be permitted to establish its own police service without demonstrating adequate capacity in critical areas, including recruitment, training, welfare, discipline, equipment, firearms control, data management, complaints handling, independent oversight and financial sustainability.
Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, representing the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, described the proposed state police system as one of the landmark reforms of the Tinubu administration.
He dismissed concerns that the Federal Government intended to control state police, explaining that the proposed legislation is designed only to provide an operational framework and not to centralise policing powers.
The
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, stated that the bill aims to enhance the security of lives and property while ensuring that state police are not used as instruments of political persecution.
He added that states unable to immediately establish their own police services would continue to rely on the Nigeria Police Force until they meet the prescribed operational standards.
