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Abuja – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday inaugurated the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, setting the stage for the implementation of state police across Nigeria as part of sweeping reforms aimed at tackling the country’s security challenges.

Represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, at the inauguration held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the President said the committee would prepare an implementation-ready National Policing Bill to provide the legal framework for the proposed dual policing structure comprising the Federal Police Service and the 36 State Police Services.

The inauguration comes on the heels of the National Assembly’s passage of the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026, which lays the constitutional foundation for the establishment of state police.

Tinubu explained that while the constitutional amendment creates the legal basis for state police, a separate National Policing Bill is required to operationalise the system.

“The Constitution Amendment Bill establishes the framework for dual policing, but it does not operationalise it. That work is left to the National Policing Bill,” the President said.

According to him, the proposed legislation will address critical issues including minimum policing standards, state readiness certification, federal-state coordination, accountability mechanisms, human rights safeguards and fiscal conditions necessary for the effective implementation of state police.

He said the working group had been constituted to ensure that an implementation-ready draft bill would be available immediately after the constitutional amendment process is completed.

“We must not wait until the constitutional process is concluded before beginning this important assignment,” Tinubu said.

Gbajabiamila will chair the committee, whose members include the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), the National Security Adviser, the Inspector-General of Police and the Chairman of the NGF Committee on State Police. A secretariat will provide administrative support to the panel.

Speaking on behalf of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun pledged governors’ commitment to ensuring the speedy implementation of the reform.

He disclosed that governors would work with their respective state Houses of Assembly to fast-track the ratification of the constitutional amendment once transmitted.

Abiodun described the proposed state police system as a response to Nigerians’ long-standing demand for community-based policing, saying it would build on the success of regional security outfits such as Amotekun in the South-West.

He added that the initiative would significantly boost the country’s security manpower.

“If each state deploys about 6,000 personnel, we will add nearly 200,000 officers to complement the existing federal police,” he said.

The governor also commended President Tinubu for initiating implementation plans before the constitutional amendment process is completed, describing the move as proactive.

Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), described the initiative as timely in view of the nation’s worsening security situation.

“There is no denying the fact that we are in a critical moment security-wise, and all hands must be on deck,” he said.

Fagbemi appealed to state governors to ensure the early ratification of the constitutional amendment by their respective legislatures, stressing that the reform requires collective commitment.

Also speaking, President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe, reaffirmed the NBA’s support for the establishment of state police, arguing that Nigeria could no longer be effectively policed solely through a centralised police system.

He, however, cautioned against possible abuse of state police powers, stressing that the legal framework must include adequate safeguards to ensure accountability and protect citizens from oppression.

“We must ensure we do not create a monster. The right legal framework must guarantee accountability and prevent oppression,” Osigwe said.

The inauguration was attended by the Attorneys-General and Commissioners for Justice of Plateau, Lagos and Ondo states, representatives of the Inspector-General of Police and the National Security Adviser, as well as other senior government officials.