The Federal Government (FG) has unveiled a seven-week timeline to develop the proposed National Policing Bill and opened a two-week window for Nigerians and stakeholders to submit memoranda on the establishment of state police across the country.
The government announced the move after the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill met on Monday at the State House, Abuja.
Chairman of the working group and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the committee was reviewing existing laws, including the Police Act 2020, Police Service Commission regulations and other security frameworks, to develop a modern dual-policing system.
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The proposed bill seeks to create a transition from Nigeria’s current centralised police structure to a system that allows both federal and state policing while maintaining national standards.
Under the framework, states seeking to establish police services must meet requirements covering recruitment, vetting, training, welfare, equipment, firearms control, data management, complaints procedures, oversight and sustainable funding.
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“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 said.
The working group’s timeline runs from July 27 to September 14, 2026.
The public consultation period will allow citizens, civil society organisations, security experts, legal practitioners, academics, state governments and local authorities to contribute recommendations.
The committee will review the submissions and incorporate relevant inputs into the draft Executive Bill, which it plans to present to President Bola Tinubu on September 3, 2026, before submitting it to the National Assembly after further consultations.
Meanwhile, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, who represented the Nigeria Governors’ Forum at the meeting, said the proposed legislation would establish operational standards for state police rather than create federal control over state security forces.
He described the reform as one of the significant initiatives of Tinubu’s administration.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, also assured Nigerians that the bill would include safeguards to prevent the misuse of state police for political persecution while protecting lives and property.
Fagbemi added that the implementation would be gradual, noting that states that are not immediately prepared to establish police units would continue to rely on the Nigeria Police Force until they meet the required standards.
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The meeting was attended by senior officials and stakeholders, including Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu, Nigerian Bar Association President Afam Osigwe, Justice Abdullahi Liman (rtd.), Prof. Olu Ogunsakin, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Planning and Research Nnadubem Moghalu, and Brig. Gen. Olutayo Muyiwa Adesuyi, who represented the National Security Adviser.
