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 on the planned establishment of state police.
Chief of Staff to the President and Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed this on Wednesday.
He urged Nigerians to submit their views, saying the process was intended to incorporate citizens’ experiences and professional expertise into the proposed legislation.
Gbajabiamila said the submissions would help address key concerns surrounding political interference, police misconduct, oversight and intelligence-sharing between federal and state police services.
He stressed that the consultation would not replace the role of the National Assembly, which would retain the authority to scrutinise, amend, reject or pass the Bill when it is transmitted.
The former Speaker of the House of Representatives also urged Nigerians to focus their submissions on how state police could be protected from political interference, who should investigate serious misconduct and how federal and state police could share intelligence across state boundaries.
“For too long, the debate has been framed as a choice between effective local policing and protection from political abuse. Nigeria needs both,” he said.
“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 acknowledged concerns that governors could potentially use state police against political opponents, protesters, journalists, minority communities and other citizens.
He said such concerns must be addressed through strong safeguards in the design of the proposed law.
“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.
According to him, state police services must have clear legal authority within their jurisdictions while remaining subject to the Constitution, human rights and the rule of law.
He added that the proposed framework should provide for proper recruitment, training, equipment and supervision of officers, while ensuring that citizens have access to credible complaint and oversight mechanisms.
Gbajabiamila said the reform was intended to create a policing system that was “closer, faster and better informed by local conditions.”
He argued that officers familiar with a community’s language, geography and crime patterns would be better positioned to gather intelligence and respond to security threats.
However, he stressed that the proposed system 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.
Gbajabiamila explained that the 1999 Constitution currently provides for a single police force, the Nigeria Police Force, under Section 214.
He said this makes a constitutional amendment necessary before state police can be established.
According to him, both chambers of the National Assembly have approved proposed constitutional amendments providing for a Federal Police Service and State Police Services.
However, he said the process was not yet complete.
He explained that the National Assembly must conclude the remaining stages before transmitting the amendment to the 36 state Houses of Assembly.
At least 24 state legislatures must approve the amendment before it can proceed to the President for assent.
Gbajabiamila stressed that state police remains a proposal until those constitutional steps are completed.
He also disclosed that the Presidential Working Group was developing the National Policing Bill alongside the constitutional amendment process.
The Bill, he said, would establish national standards covering 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.
Gbajabiamila clarified that the state police would not automatically be established nationwide even if the constitutional amendment is approved and the National Policing Bill becomes 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.
He added that states that are not ready to establish their own police services would continue to be served by the Nigeria Police Force.