The Presidency has announced that public submissions on the proposed National Policing Bill will close by 5pm on Thursday, August 13, 2026, urging Nigerians to submit their views on the proposed establishment of state police.
The Chief of Staff to the President and Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed this on Wednesday, saying the consultation was aimed at incorporating the experiences and professional expertise of Nigerians into the proposed legislation.
He said the submissions would be particularly valuable in addressing concerns around political interference, police misconduct, oversight and intelligence-sharing between federal and state police services.
Gbajabiamila stressed that the consultation would not replace the constitutional role of the National Assembly, which would retain the authority to scrutinise, amend, reject or pass the Bill once it is formally transmitted.
He urged Nigerians to make submissions on critical issues, including how police services can be protected from political interference, who should investigate serious cases of misconduct and how federal and state police forces can effectively share intelligence across state boundaries.
He said, “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.”
Gbajabiamila also stressed that any state police framework must contain strong safeguards against the misuse of police powers by governors against political opponents, protesters, journalists, minority communities and other citizens.
The former Speaker of the House of Representatives acknowledged that state police could bring policing closer to communities and improve responses to local security challenges. However, he said its proximity to state governments raised legitimate concerns about political interference and abuse of power.
“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 services must operate within their lawful jurisdictions while remaining subject to the Constitution, human rights and the rule of law.
According to him, the proposed framework should ensure that police officers are properly recruited, vetted, trained, equipped and supervised, while citizens must have access to credible complaints and independent oversight mechanisms.
Gbajabiamila said the proposed reforms were designed to create a policing system that is “closer, faster and better informed by local conditions,” noting that officers familiar with a community’s language, geography and crime patterns would be better positioned to gather intelligence and respond effectively to security threats.
“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.
Constitutional Amendment Required
On the legislative process, Gbajabiamila explained that the Constitution currently provides for a single Nigeria Police Force under Section 214, making a constitutional amendment necessary before state police can be established.
He said both chambers of the National Assembly had approved proposed constitutional amendments providing for a Federal Police Service and State Police Services, but noted that the process was not yet complete.
According to him, the National Assembly must complete the remaining stages and transmit the proposed amendment to the state Houses of Assembly, where it must be approved by at least 24 of the 36 state legislatures before it can proceed to the President for assent.
He stressed that until those constitutional steps are completed, state police remain only a proposal.
Gbajabiamila also disclosed that the Presidential Working Group was preparing the National Policing Bill alongside the constitutional amendment process.
He said the Bill would establish national standards for recruitment, vetting, training, remuneration, pensions, equipment and professional conduct. It would also provide rules on the use of force, complaints, discipline, independent oversight, intelligence-sharing and cooperation between federal and state police services.
The Chief of Staff clarified that state police would not automatically be established nationwide even if the constitutional amendment and National Policing Bill become law.
“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.
Gbajabiamila added that any state that was not ready to establish its own police service would continue to be served by the Nigeria Police Force.
