President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday inaugurated the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill to prepare the legal framework for implementing state police across the country.

The President, represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, inaugurated the committee at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The inauguration followed the Senate’s passage of the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026, which proposes a dual policing structure comprising the Federal Police Service and 36 State Police Services.

According to Tinubu, while the constitutional amendment establishes the framework for state police, the National Policing Bill will provide the legal and operational structure required for its implementation.

“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.

He explained that the proposed legislation would address key issues, including minimum policing standards, state readiness certification, federal-state coordination, accountability mechanisms, human rights safeguards, personnel transition, and fiscal requirements.

“The proposed National Policing Bill will include provisions on minimum policing standards, state readiness certification, federal-state coordination, accountability, human rights safeguards and fiscal conditions,” he said.

Tinubu stated that the committee had been constituted to produce a technically robust and implementation-ready draft bill immediately after the constitutional amendment process.

“The Working Group has been constituted to produce a technically robust, implementation-ready draft National Policing Bill for transmission to the National Assembly,” he said.

The President added that the committee would also recommend any additional legal instruments required to ensure the smooth implementation of the proposed dual policing system.

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

Gbajabiamila will chair the committee, whose members include the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN; the National Security Adviser; the Inspector-General of Police; the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA); the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF); the Chairman of the NGF Committee on State Police; and a secretariat.

Speaking on behalf of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, pledged the governors’ full support for the speedy implementation of the proposed reforms.

According to Abiodun, the governors intend to ensure that once the bill reaches the various State Houses of Assembly, it will receive prompt and simultaneous consideration.

“The plan is that when the bill gets to our various Houses of Assembly, we will all pass it on the same day,” he said.

He described the proposed state police system as a response to Nigerians’ long-standing demand for community-based policing.

“This bill has answered the cries of Nigerians about cascading policing and removing it from the Exclusive Legislative List,” he said.

Abiodun added that the proposal validates the effectiveness of regional security outfits such as Amotekun in the South-West.

“This bill has validated the effectiveness of community policing as demonstrated by Amotekun in the South-West,” he said.

He also argued that the introduction of state police would significantly strengthen the country’s security architecture.

“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 commended Tinubu for commencing implementation planning before the constitutional amendment process had been concluded.

“This inauguration demonstrates the proactiveness of the Executive in preparing for effective implementation,” Abiodun said.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, described the initiative as timely, given the country’s prevailing security challenges.

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

Fagbemi appealed to state governors to facilitate the swift ratification of the constitutional amendment by their respective State Houses of Assembly.

“I appeal to the governors to do their utmost to ensure the early passage of the constitutional amendment because this is a shared responsibility,” he said.

The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe, SAN, reaffirmed the association’s support for the establishment of state police.

“Nigeria can hardly be effectively policed by one national police. We fully support the constitutional amendment providing for state police,” he said.

Osigwe, however, cautioned that the new policing structure must be backed by strong legal safeguards to prevent abuse.

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

He pledged the NBA’s commitment to supporting the committee in producing legislation that would strengthen national security while safeguarding the rights of citizens.