The Presidency has announced that public submissions on the proposed National Policing Bill will close at 5pm on Thursday, August 13, 2026, as consultations continue over plans to establish state police in Nigeria.
Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu and Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed this on Wednesday.
Gbajabiamila said the consultation was aimed at drawing on the experience and expertise of Nigerians, particularly on issues including political interference, police misconduct, independent oversight and intelligence-sharing between federal and state police services.
He stressed that the consultation would not undermine the constitutional powers of the National Assembly, which would scrutinise, amend, reject or pass the Bill once it is formally transmitted.
According to him, the debate over state police should not be framed as a choice between effective local policing and protection against political abuse, arguing that Nigeria needs both.
Gbajabiamila acknowledged concerns that state police could be abused by governors against political opponents, protesters, journalists and minority communities.
He said such concerns were legitimate and must be addressed in the proposed legislation.
“The concern that governors might use state police against political opponents, minority communities or dissenting voices is serious and must be answered in the design of the law,” he said.
The former Speaker of the House of Representatives added that state police services would have to operate within their jurisdictions while remaining subject to the Constitution, human rights standards and the rule of law.
He said the proposed law would establish minimum standards for recruitment, vetting, training, remuneration, pensions, equipment and professional conduct.
The Bill would also provide frameworks for the use of force, complaints, disciplinary procedures, independent oversight, intelligence-sharing and cooperation between federal and state police services.
Gbajabiamila maintained that effective recruitment, adequate training, proper equipment and strong supervision would be essential to ensuring professionalism within state police formations.
He also called for credible complaint and accountability mechanisms to protect citizens from police misconduct.
On the constitutional requirements, Gbajabiamila explained that Section 214 of the 1999 Constitution currently provides for a single police force, the Nigeria Police Force.
He therefore noted that the establishment of state police would require a constitutional amendment.
According to him, both chambers of the National Assembly have already approved proposed constitutional amendments providing for Federal Police Services and State Police Services.
However, he stressed that the process is not yet complete.
The proposed amendments must still be transmitted to the 36 state Houses of Assembly, with approval required from at least 24 states before the amendments can be forwarded to the President for assent.
Until the constitutional process is completed, Gbajabiamila said, state police would remain a proposal.
He further clarified that even if the constitutional amendment and National Policing Bill are passed, state police would not automatically be established across all 36 states.
“Each state that chooses to establish a service will still need its own enabling law, institutions and funding,” he said.
He added that states would also be required to meet national operational conditions before their officers could commence policing duties.
States that do not establish their own police services would continue to be served by the Nigeria Police Force.