National Policing Bill: Presidency Sets 5pm Deadline for Public Submissions on State Police
Public submissions on the proposed National Policing Bill will close by 5pm on Thursday, August 13, 2026, the Presidency has announced.
The deadline was disclosed on Wednesday by the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu and Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Gbajabiamila urged Nigerians to submit their views on the proposed establishment of state police, saying the consultation was designed to draw on the experiences, concerns and professional expertise of citizens as the government works on the proposed legislation.
He said contributions from the public would help address major issues surrounding political interference, police misconduct, oversight and intelligence-sharing between federal and state police services.
The Chief of Staff called for specific contributions on how state police could be protected from political manipulation, the appropriate authority to investigate serious cases of police misconduct and how federal and state police formations could effectively exchange intelligence across state boundaries.
Gbajabiamila stressed that the public consultation would not interfere with the constitutional responsibilities of the National Assembly.
He explained that the legislature would retain its authority to scrutinise, amend, reject or pass the National Policing Bill once it is formally transmitted to it.
“For too long, the debate has been framed as a choice between effective local policing and protection from political abuse. Nigeria needs both.
“We can bring policing closer to the people while building strong national standards, independent oversight and firm safeguards for every citizen. The time to fix policing in Nigeria is now, and we must see the work through,” he said.
The former Speaker of the House of Representatives said any framework establishing state police must include strong safeguards to prevent state governments from abusing their powers.
He specifically raised concerns over the possibility of governors deploying state police against political opponents, protesters, journalists, minority communities and other citizens.
Gbajabiamila acknowledged that state police could bring law enforcement closer to local communities and strengthen responses to security challenges. However, he noted that the direct relationship between state police and state governments also raised legitimate concerns about political interference.
“But proximity does not guarantee justice. 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.
He added that state police formations would have to operate within their legally defined jurisdictions while remaining bound by the Constitution, human rights principles and the rule of law.
The proposed National Policing Bill, he said, would also address the recruitment, training, equipment and supervision of police officers, while providing citizens with access to credible complaint and oversight mechanisms.
Gbajabiamila said the reform was aimed at developing a policing structure that is “closer, faster and better informed by local conditions.”
He argued that officers with knowledge of a community’s language, geography and crime patterns would be better positioned to gather intelligence and respond to local security threats.
However, he maintained that any new policing framework must protect citizens regardless of their political affiliation.
“The law must protect citizens regardless of who holds office. It must protect opposition parties, peaceful protesters, journalists and minority communities.
“It must make unlawful orders easier to resist, misconduct easier to investigate and political interference harder to hide,” he said.
On the constitutional requirements for establishing state police, Gbajabiamila explained that Section 214 of the Constitution currently provides for a single Nigeria Police Force.
He said this means that a constitutional amendment would be necessary before state police could legally be established in Nigeria.
According to him, both chambers of the National Assembly have approved proposed constitutional amendments seeking to provide for a Federal Police Service and State Police Services.
However, he stressed that the constitutional amendment process is not yet complete.
Gbajabiamila explained that the National Assembly would have to complete the remaining stages before the proposed amendment is transmitted to the state Houses of Assembly.
The amendment would require approval from at least 24 of the 36 state legislatures before it can be forwarded to the President for assent.
He therefore emphasised that state police remains a proposal until the constitutional amendment process is concluded.
The Presidential Working Group, Gbajabiamila further disclosed, is developing the National Policing Bill alongside the ongoing constitutional amendment process.
He said the proposed legislation would establish national standards covering the recruitment, vetting, training, remuneration, pensions, equipment and professional conduct of police officers.
The Bill would also set out provisions on the use of force, complaints, discipline, independent oversight, intelligence-sharing and cooperation between federal and state police services.
However, Gbajabiamila clarified that even the passage of the constitutional amendment and National Policing Bill would not automatically lead to the creation of state police in every part of Nigeria.
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“Each state that chooses to establish a service will still need its own enabling law, institutions and funding. It must also meet the national conditions for operation before its officers can begin policing,” he said.
He added that states that choose not to establish their own police services, or are not yet prepared to do so, would continue to receive policing services from the Nigeria Police Force.
