President Bola Tinubu has appointed his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, to chair the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, a committee tasked with preparing the legal framework for the implementation of state police across the country.
The appointment was contained in a State House press release issued on Tuesday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, following the inauguration of the committee at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Gbajabiamila’s appointment comes amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the alleged activities of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, a body the Federal Government has described as fictitious and which is currently under investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
Representing the President at the inauguration, Gbajabiamila said the committee was constituted to ensure that the legal framework for state police is ready immediately after the constitutional amendment process.
According to the release, the inauguration followed the National Assembly’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 creates the framework for state police, the National Policing Bill would provide 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.
He added that the proposed legislation would address critical issues including minimum policing standards, state readiness certification, federal and state coordination, accountability mechanisms, human rights safeguards and fiscal conditions.
“The Working Group has been constituted to produce a technically robust, implementation-ready draft National Policing Bill for transmission to the National Assembly,” Tinubu stated, adding that the committee was inaugurated ahead of the conclusion of the constitutional amendment process to avoid unnecessary delays.
Other members of the committee include the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe, the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the National Security Adviser, the Inspector General of Police and the Chairman of the NGF Committee on State Police.
Speaking on behalf of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, pledged the support of state governors for the speedy implementation of the reform.
He said, “This bill has answered the cries of Nigerians about cascading policing and removing it from the Exclusive Legislative List.”
Abiodun also said state police would significantly boost the nation’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 Attorney General of the Federation, Fagbemi, described the initiative as timely, saying Nigeria’s current security situation requires collective action.
“There is no denying the fact that we are in a critical moment security-wise, and all hands must be on deck,” he said, while urging governors to ensure the speedy ratification of the constitutional amendment by their respective state assemblies.
Also speaking, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe, reiterated the association’s support for the establishment of state police but cautioned against possible abuse.
“We must ensure we do not create a monster. The right legal framework must guarantee accountability and prevent oppression,” Osigwe said.
Also present at the inauguration were 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.
