President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has inaugurated the Presidential Working Committee on the National Policing Bill, to draft a law that will enable the implementation of the state police system across Nigeria. He was represented at the inauguration, held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.
The inauguration of the committee follows the National Assembly's passage of the 2026 constitutional amendment bill providing for the establishment of a dual police system, comprising the Federal Police and the 36 State Police forces. President Tinubu stated that while the constitutional amendment has laid the foundation for this structure, a comprehensive law is still needed to spell out its practical implementation.
According to him, the law will include provisions on minimum policing standards, assessment of each state's plan before establishing its force, federal-state collaboration, safeguarding human rights, funding responsibilities, and mechanisms for ensuring accountability and integrity. He said the committee's goal is to produce a complete draft bill to be submitted to the National Assembly without delay.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF), Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, affirmed that the governors would back the initiative and expedite the passage of the constitutional amendment in their state Houses of Assembly. He said the state police system would answer the long-standing demand by Nigerians for community-based security, adding that if each state recruits about 6,000 officers, it would result in roughly 200,000 additional security personnel nationwide.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, also described the initiative as a significant step given the country's security challenges, urging governors to ensure speedy approval of the constitutional amendment. On his part, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Afam Osigwe, expressed the association's support for the establishment of state police, while stressing the need for robust legal safeguards to prevent the force from being used to violate citizens' rights or perpetrate abuses.