- State Police: Tinubu Sets Up Committee To Prepare Implementation Framework
- Governors Back Tinubu’s Implementation Plan
- State Police Will Boost Security, Add 200,000 Officers – Dapo Abiodun
President Bola Tinubu has inaugurated the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill to prepare the legal framework for the implementation of state police across Nigeria.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the President, represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, inaugurated the committee on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
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The development follows 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.
Tinubu said while the constitutional amendment provides the framework for state police, the National Policing Bill would establish the legal 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.
According to him, the proposed legislation will address minimum policing standards, state readiness certification, federal-state coordination, accountability, human rights safeguards, personnel transition and fiscal conditions.
Tinubu said the committee had been tasked with producing an implementation-ready draft bill for transmission to the National Assembly 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.
He added that the committee would also recommend additional legal instruments required to ensure the smooth implementation of the dual policing system.
“We must not wait until the constitutional process is concluded before beginning this important assignment,” Tinubu stated.
Gbajabiamila will chair the committee, while members include the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi; 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); and the Chairman of the NGF Committee on State Police.
Speaking on behalf of the governors, Ogun State Governor and NGF Chairman, Dapo Abiodun, pledged the support of all 36 state governors for the speedy implementation of the state police initiative.
He disclosed that governors plan to ensure simultaneous passage of the constitutional amendment by all state Houses of Assembly once it is transmitted.
“The plan is that when the bill gets to our various Houses of Assembly, we will all pass it on the same day,” Abiodun said.
He described state police as a response to Nigerians’ long-standing demand for community-based policing and said the initiative validates the success of regional security outfits such as Amotekun in the South-West.
Abiodun added that if each state recruits about 6,000 personnel, nearly 200,000 additional officers would be deployed to complement the existing federal police.
He also commended Tinubu for initiating implementation plans before the constitutional amendment process is concluded.
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, described the initiative as timely, given Nigeria’s current security challenges.
“There is no denying the fact that we are in a critical moment security-wise, and all hands must be on deck,” Fagbemi said.
He urged governors to facilitate the speedy ratification of the constitutional amendment by their respective state legislatures.
President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe, also backed the establishment of state police, saying Nigeria can no longer be effectively policed by a single national police force.
He, however, stressed the need for strong legal safeguards to prevent abuse of state police powers.
“We must ensure we do not create a monster. The right legal framework must guarantee accountability and prevent oppression,” Osigwe said.
He pledged the NBA’s support for the committee in drafting legislation that would strengthen national security while protecting citizens’ rights.
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