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The Federal Government has announced a seven-week roadmap for the development of the proposed National Policing Bill, inviting Nigerians and key stakeholders to submit memoranda and policy proposals that will shape the legal and operational framework for the establishment of state police across the country.
The announcement was made on Monday by the Chief of Staff to the President and Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, after a meeting of the committee at the State House in Abuja.
Gbajabiamila said the Working Group is reviewing the Police Act 2020, the Police Service Commission framework, police regulations and other relevant laws to produce a modern policing system that will support the introduction of state police while maintaining national standards.
According to him, the proposed legislation will establish minimum operational standards for policing, define the requirements for state readiness and certification, clarify jurisdictional responsibilities, strengthen independent oversight, protect human rights and guarantee sustainable funding for both federal and state policing institutions.
He disclosed that the call for public memoranda would remain open for two weeks, allowing citizens, professional bodies, civil society organisations, security agencies, academics, state and local governments to contribute to the drafting process. The submissions will be incorporated into the draft bill before nationwide consultations and its eventual transmission to the National Assembly.
The Working Group has adopted a seven-week work schedule running from July 27 to September 14, 2026. Under the timeline, the draft Executive Bill will be presented to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on September 3, after which broader national consultations will be conducted before the legislation is finalised.
Gbajabiamila stressed that no state would be permitted to establish a police service without meeting strict requirements covering recruitment, vetting, training, salaries, pensions, equipment, detention facilities, complaints handling, discipline, firearms control, data management, independent oversight and financial sustainability.
Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, who represented the Nigeria Governors' Forum, described the proposed state police system as one of the landmark reforms of the Tinubu administration. He dismissed fears of federal interference, insisting that the proposed legislation was intended to provide a common operational framework rather than centralise control of state police.
Also speaking, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, said the National Policing Bill was designed to safeguard lives and property while ensuring that state police could not be used as instruments of political intimidation or persecution. He added that states not immediately ready to establish their own police services would continue to rely on the Federal Police until they satisfy the prescribed standards.
The meeting was attended by the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu; President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe; Chairman of the Policy Advisory Committee, Justice Abdullahi Liman (retd); Professor Olu Ogunsakin, Head of the Nigeria Police Reform Secretariat; Senior Special Assistant to the President on Planning and Research, Nnadubem Moghalu; and Brigadier General Olutayo Muyiwa Adesuyi, representing the National Security Adviser.
