The Nigerian Government has commenced nationwide consultations on the proposed National Policing Bill, inviting Nigerians at home and abroad to submit memoranda and policy proposals as part of efforts to establish a legal framework for state policing.
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, Femi Gbajabiamila, while briefing State House correspondents after the group’s meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Gbajabiamila said the Working Group had also begun a comprehensive review of the Police Act 2020, the Police Service Commission framework, police regulations and other relevant laws to support the transition to a dual-policing system.
He said the call for memoranda would remain open for two weeks, allowing citizens, civil society organisations, professional bodies, security agencies, academics, state and local governments, and other stakeholders to contribute to the proposed legislation.
According to him, all submissions will be reviewed and reflected in the drafting process before a national consultation is held on the proposed bill.
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Gbajabiamila disclosed that the Working Group had adopted a seven-week work plan running from 27 July to 14 September 2026. He said the Executive Bill is expected to be presented to President Bola Tinubu on 3 September before being revised and transmitted to the National Assembly following nationwide consultations.
He explained that the proposed legislation would establish a clear legal and operational framework for federal and state policing, covering national policing standards, state readiness, federal-state cooperation, defined jurisdictional responsibilities, independent oversight, human rights safeguards, interoperable data systems, sustainable funding and an orderly transition to a dual-policing structure.
Gbajabiamila said any state seeking to establish a police service must demonstrate its readiness in recruitment, training, welfare, discipline, equipment, financial sustainability and independent oversight before commencing operations.
He stressed that national policing standards would remain the minimum benchmark across the country, while states would be free to adopt higher standards where necessary.
He also assured Nigerians that the proposed framework contains safeguards against political interference, insisting that state police must operate within constitutional and legal limits.
“State Police cannot mean 36 state militias. Officers must answer to the Constitution and the law, not to personal or partisan instruction,” he said.
Those present at the briefing included the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; the Governor of Ogun State and representative of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Dapo Abiodun; the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe; Chairman of the Policy Advisory Committee, Justice Abdullahi Liman; Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman; Special Adviser to the President on Planning and Research, Nnadubem Moghalu; and Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu.
