JUST IN: FG opens public consultation on National Policing Bill, unveils seven-week roadmap for state police framework

Politics

ABUJA, Nigeria (NPA) — The Federal Government has invited Nigerians to submit memoranda and policy proposals on the proposed National Policing Bill, as part of efforts to establish a comprehensive legal and operational framework for the creation of state police across the country.

The call was announced 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.

In a statement issued on Monday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Gbajabiamila announced that the Working Group has adopted a seven‑week work plan, running from July 27 to September 14, 2026, to finalise the proposed legislation.

He explained that the committee is reviewing the Police Act 2020, the legal framework establishing the Police Service Commission, existing police regulations and other relevant laws to develop a modern and effective policing system capable of supporting both federal and state policing structures.

The proposed legislation, he said, will establish national minimum standards for policing, define state readiness requirements and certification processes, clarify operational jurisdictions, strengthen independent oversight, protect human rights and provide sustainable funding mechanisms.

It will also outline a structured transition to a dual-policing system.

Gbajabiamila said the public consultation would remain open for two weeks, allowing citizens, professional bodies, civil society organisations, security agencies, state and local governments, academics and other stakeholders to contribute to the proposed legislation.

According to him, all submissions will be reviewed and incorporated into the draft bill before another round of national consultations ahead of its final submission to the National Assembly.

The Chief of Staff disclosed that the draft Executive Bill is scheduled to be presented to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on September 3, 2026, before undergoing final consultations and approval.

He noted that the National Policing Bill would define standards for recruitment, training, oversight, funding and transitional arrangements aimed at ensuring credible, effective and accountable policing nationwide.

“A proposed State Police Service must demonstrate that it has credible arrangements for recruitment, vetting, training, pay, pensions, equipment, custody, complaints, discipline, data management, firearms control, independent oversight and financial sustainability before it begins policing,” Gbajabiamila said.

Also speaking, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, who represented the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), described the establishment of state police as one of the most significant reforms under President Tinubu’s administration.

He dismissed concerns that the Federal Government intended to exercise control over state police, stressing that the proposed legislation is designed to provide an operational framework rather than centralise authority.

“There is no Federal attempt to control State Police,” Abiodun said, adding that the objective is to ensure uniform standards while allowing states to manage their respective police services.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), said the proposed legislation is intended to enhance the protection of lives and property while preventing the misuse of state police for political purposes.

He assured Nigerians that adequate legal safeguards would be built into the framework to ensure that state police are not deployed as instruments of political persecution.

Fagbemi added that states that are unable to establish their own police services immediately would continue to benefit from the services of the Nigeria Police Force until they meet the prescribed operational standards.

Other participants at the meeting included the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), 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.

The Federal Government said the public consultation is expected to ensure that the proposed National Policing Bill reflects broad national consensus before its transmission to the National Assembly.