FG unveils seven-week roadmap for National Policing Bill, seeks public input on State Police

By Johnson Arua

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 to shape the legal framework for the establishment of state policing in the country.

The Special Adviser to the President
(Information & Strategy) Bayo Onanuga in a statement said the announcement was made by the Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill and Chief of Staff to the President, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, after a meeting of the committee at the State House, Abuja.

Gbajabiamila said the Working Group is reviewing the Police Act 2020, the Police Service Commission framework, police regulations and other relevant laws to develop a modern, effective and accountable policing system that accommodates both federal and state police structures.

He explained that the proposed legislation would establish national minimum standards for state policing, define state readiness and certification requirements, clarify operational jurisdictions, provide for independent oversight, protect human rights and ensure sustainable funding, while outlining an orderly transition to a dual-policing system.

According to him, the public consultation process will begin with a two-week window for the submission of memoranda by citizens, civil society organisations, security agencies, professional bodies, academics, and state and local governments. The contributions 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 plan running from July 27 to September 14, 2026. The draft Executive Bill is expected to be presented to President Bola Tinubu on September 3, after which further national consultations will be conducted before the legislation is finalised.

Gbajabiamila stressed that no state would be allowed to establish a police service without demonstrating credible arrangements for recruitment, vetting, training, welfare, equipment, complaints handling, discipline, firearms control, independent oversight and financial sustainability.

Also speaking, Ogun State Governor and representative of the Nigeria Governors' Forum, Prince Dapo Abiodun, described the proposed state police initiative as a landmark reform and one of the defining policies of President Tinubu's administration. He dismissed concerns that the Federal Government intended to control state police, saying the bill was designed only to provide an operational framework.

Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, said the proposed National Policing Bill would guarantee the security of lives and property while ensuring that state police would not become instruments of political persecution. He added that states not immediately prepared to establish their own police services would continue to rely on the Nigeria Police Force until they meet 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 (rtd); Head of the Nigeria Police Reform Secretariat, 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.