In a proactive step toward restructuring Nigeria’s internal security architecture, President Bola Tinubu has inaugurated the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill.
The high-level panel is tasked with developing the comprehensive legal and operational roadmap necessary to implement state policing across the federation.
The inauguration follows the recent passage of the Constitution Alteration State Police Bill, 2026, by the National Assembly, which proposes transitioning Nigeria from a centrally managed police system to a dual structure consisting of a Federal Police Service and 36 distinct State Police Services.
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Tinubu, represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, performed the inauguration ceremony at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
He explained that while the ongoing constitutional amendment establishes the foundational framework for decentralised law enforcement, it lacks the mechanisms required for practical application.
The forthcoming National Policing Bill is expected to bridge this gap by outlining institutional guidelines, state readiness certifications, minimum policing standards, and frameworks for federal-state security coordination.
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It will also incorporate strict human rights safeguards, accountability mechanisms, and fiscal conditions to govern the regional services.
By constituting the committee now, the presidency aims to ensure an implementation-ready draft is completed simultaneously with the final ratification of the constitutional amendment.
Chaired by Gbajabiamila, the working group comprises key stakeholders from across the legal, executive, and security sectors.
Members include the Attorney-General of the Federation, the National Security Adviser, the Inspector-General of Police, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), and the Chairman of the NGF Committee on State Police.
Reacting to the development on behalf of the NGF, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun pledged the total cooperation of the 36 state executives.
He revealed that state governors intend to expedite the passage of the constitutional amendment across their respective Houses of Assembly.
Abiodun noted that decentralising law enforcement answers a long-standing public demand for community-focused policing, highlighting that if each state initially deploys roughly 6,000 personnel, nearly 200,000 new officers will be added nationwide to reinforce existing federal forces.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi described the initiative as a crucial legislative intervention given Nigeria’s prevailing security challenges, urging state assemblies to prioritise the ratification process.
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Expressing the support of the legal community, NBA President Afam Osigwe noted that a singular national force can no longer adequately protect a country of Nigeria’s scale.
However, he emphasised that the working group must draft watertight legal barriers to prevent regional political actors from abusing the state police formations.
He promised the NBA’s full commitment to securing a framework that balances rigorous law enforcement with the protection of citizens’ fundamental human rights.
