State Police: Presidency Closes Public Submissions Today

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 over plans to establish state police.

Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu and Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed this on Wednesday.

He said the consultation was intended to incorporate the experiences and professional expertise of Nigerians into the proposed legislation, particularly on concerns surrounding political interference, police misconduct, oversight and intelligence-sharing.

Gbajabiamila urged Nigerians to submit their views on how police services could be protected from political interference, who should investigate serious misconduct and how federal and state police services could share intelligence across state boundaries.

He stressed that the consultation would not replace the authority of the National Assembly, which would retain the power to scrutinise, amend, reject or pass the Bill when it is transmitted.

“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.

Gbajabiamila acknowledged that state police could bring policing closer to communities and improve responses to local security challenges but warned that its proximity to state governments could create opportunities for political interference and abuse.

He said the proposed framework must prevent governors from using state police against political opponents, protesters, journalists, minority communities and other citizens.

“The law must protect citizens regardless of who holds office. It must protect opposition parties, peaceful protesters, journalists and minority communities,” he said.

He added that state police services must operate within their jurisdictions while remaining subject to the Constitution, human rights and the rule of law.

According to Gbajabiamila, the framework should also provide for proper recruitment, training, equipment and supervision, alongside credible complaint and oversight mechanisms for citizens.

He explained that officers familiar with local languages, geography and crime patterns could improve intelligence gathering and responses to security threats.

On the constitutional process, Gbajabiamila said Section 214 currently provides for the Nigeria Police Force as the country’s police service, meaning a constitutional amendment is required before state police can be established.

He said both chambers of the National Assembly had approved proposed constitutional changes providing for Federal Police Service and State Police Services, but the process remained incomplete.

The amendment must subsequently be approved by at least 24 of the 36 state Houses of Assembly before being transmitted to the President for assent.

Gbajabiamila stressed that state police remained a proposal until the constitutional process was completed.

He also said the National Policing Bill would establish national standards covering recruitment, training, remuneration, pensions, equipment, professional conduct, use of force, complaints, discipline, oversight and cooperation between federal and state police services.

However, he noted that states would not automatically establish their own police services once the reforms become law.

“Each state that chooses to establish a service will still need its own enabling law, institutions and funding,” he said.

States that are not ready to establish their own police services would continue to be served by the Nigeria Police Force.