President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has inaugurated the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, declaring that the implementation of state police can no longer be delayed.
Represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Tinubu said the committee would begin developing the legal framework for state police immediately rather than waiting for the completion of the constitutional amendment process.
“We must not wait until the constitutional process is concluded before beginning this important assignment,” the President said.
The committee, chaired by Gbajabiamila, includes the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi; Afam Osigwe; Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu; Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu; and Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, who chairs the NGF Committee on State Police.
The inauguration follows the passage of the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026, by the National Assembly. The proposed amendment seeks to establish a dual policing structure comprising a Federal Police Service and 36 State Police Services.
Tinubu explained that while the constitutional amendment would provide the legal basis for state policing, the proposed National Policing Bill would define its operational framework, including policing standards, accountability mechanisms, human rights safeguards, federal-state coordination and criteria for state readiness.
Speaking on behalf of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Abiodun pledged the support of all 36 state governors, describing the reform as a response to longstanding calls for community-based policing.
He said that if each state recruits about 6,000 officers, nearly 200,000 additional personnel would be added to complement the existing federal police workforce.
Attorney-General Fagbemi described the initiative as timely.
“There is no denying the fact that we are in a critical moment security-wise, and all hands must be on deck,” he said.
NBA President Osigwe also backed the proposal but stressed the need for robust legal safeguards to prevent abuse of the system.
Meanwhile, Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau said the proposed legislation contains constitutional safeguards against the political misuse of state police, while Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu said concerns over abuse had been addressed through strict legal provisions.
Kalu argued that Nigeria’s centralised policing structure has become overstretched and that the proposed framework would enable states to establish police services with clearly defined jurisdictions, independent oversight, professional recruitment standards and coordinated command structures.
“No other federation of our size operates this way; from Germany to India, from Canada to Australia, the world’s great federations police locally and coordinate nationally,” he said.
