The Presidential Working Group on the proposed National Policing Bill has called on Nigerians to submit memoranda and policy proposals as part of efforts to develop a comprehensive legal and operational framework for the establishment of state policing in the country.
The announcement was made on Monday by the Chief of Staff to the President and Chairman of the Working Group, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, after a meeting of the committee at the State House in Abuja.
Gbajabiamila said the Working Group is currently reviewing the Police Act 2020, the Police Service Commission framework, police regulations, and other relevant laws to create a modern and effective policing system.
According to him, the proposed legislation will establish national minimum standards for policing, define state readiness and certification requirements, clarify jurisdictional responsibilities, strengthen independent oversight, safeguard human rights, ensure sustainable funding, and provide a structured transition to a dual-policing system.
He disclosed that the call for memoranda will remain open for two weeks, giving citizens, professional bodies, civil society organisations, security agencies, state and local governments, academics, and other stakeholders the opportunity to make contributions.
The submissions, he said, will be reviewed and incorporated into the draft bill before it undergoes further nationwide consultations ahead of its presentation to the National Assembly.
Gbajabiamila also revealed that the Working Group has adopted a seven-week work plan spanning July 27 to September 14, 2026. Under the timeline, the draft Executive Bill is expected to be presented to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on September 3, 2026, before broader consultations and final approval.
He explained that the proposed National Policing Bill would clearly define standards for recruitment, training, oversight, funding, and transition arrangements to ensure a credible, effective, and accountable policing system nationwide.
“A proposed State Police Service must demonstrate that it has credible arrangements for recruitment, vetting, training, pay, pensions, equipment, custody, complaints, discipline, data, firearms control, independent oversight and financial sustainability before it begins policing,” Gbajabiamila stated.
Also speaking, the Governor of Ogun State and representative of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Dapo Abiodun, described the proposed state police initiative as a landmark reform and one of the defining policies of President Tinubu’s administration.
Abiodun dismissed concerns that the Federal Government was seeking to control state police, stressing that the proposed legislation is designed to provide an operational framework rather than centralise authority.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), said the proposed bill is aimed at strengthening the security of lives and property while preventing the misuse of state police for political persecution.
He added that states not immediately prepared to establish their own police services would continue to rely on the Nigeria Police Force until they satisfy the prescribed operational standards.
Other participants at the meeting included the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu; President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe; Chairman of the Policy Advisory Committee, Justice Abdullahi Liman (Rtd.); Head of the Nigeria Police Reform Secretariat, Professor Olu Ogunsakin; Senior Special Assistant to the President on Planning and Research, Nnadubem Moghalu; and Brigadier General Olutayo Muyiwa Adesuyi, who represented the National Security Adviser.
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