Keypoints
- The Presidency will close public submissions on the proposed National Policing Bill at 5pm today, Thursday, August 13, 2026.
- The consultation is seeking Nigerians’ views on the proposed establishment of State Police Services alongside a restructured Federal Police Service.
- The proposed reform is designed to bring policing closer to communities while establishing national standards for recruitment, training, accountability, human rights and professional conduct.
- The Presidency has identified political interference, police misconduct, independent oversight, intelligence-sharing and funding as critical issues requiring safeguards.
- The constitutional amendment required to establish state police has already passed through the National Assembly and is now at the state Houses of Assembly stage.
- At least 24 of Nigeria’s 36 state Houses of Assembly must approve the constitutional amendment before it can proceed to the President for assent.
- Individual states will not automatically have their own police forces even if the constitutional amendment and National Policing Bill become law; each state must establish its own legal, institutional and funding framework and satisfy national conditions.
- The proposed reform could fundamentally alter Nigeria’s policing architecture, ending the country’s long-standing reliance on a single centrally controlled police structure.
Main Story
The Presidency will today, Thursday, August 13, 2026, close public submissions on the proposed National Policing Bill, marking another important stage in the Federal Government’s push to establish a new policing architecture for Nigeria.
The deadline, set for 5pm, was announced by the Chief of Staff to the President and Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, Femi Gbajabiamila, who urged Nigerians to contribute their views to the proposed legislation.
The consultation is taking place as Nigeria moves towards a possible dual policing structure comprising a Federal Police Service and State Police Services.
The proposed reform follows the National Assembly’s advancement of a constitutional amendment to permit states to establish and operate their own police services alongside the federal police. Both chambers have considered and approved the proposed constitutional changes, with the amendment now requiring approval from the state Houses of Assembly before the process can move to the President.
The reform represents one of the most significant proposed changes to Nigeria’s security architecture since the return to democratic rule.
At present, Section 214 of the 1999 Constitution provides for the Nigeria Police Force as the country’s police institution. Consequently, establishing state police requires constitutional alteration before individual states can begin creating their own services.
Gbajabiamila said the public consultation was intended to ensure that the experiences, concerns and professional knowledge of Nigerians are reflected in the proposed legal framework.
He said particular attention must be paid to how state police can operate effectively without becoming instruments of political control.
Why State Police, Why Now?
The renewed push for state police comes against the backdrop of persistent security challenges across Nigeria, including kidnapping, banditry, communal violence and other forms of organised crime.
Supporters of decentralised policing argue that officers recruited and deployed closer to the communities they serve could have better knowledge of local geography, languages, relationships and crime patterns.
Such proximity, they argue, could improve intelligence gathering, shorten response times and allow law enforcement to respond more effectively to security threats that are often highly localised. Analysts have similarly argued that the centralised policing model can slow emergency responses because state governments have limited operational control over policing despite bearing much of the political responsibility for security.
The proposed reform, however, is not simply about creating more police officers or transferring control from Abuja to the states.
It seeks to establish a new institutional framework governing how policing is organised, funded, supervised and held accountable across the federation.
The Issues
Political Interference
Perhaps the most sensitive issue is the fear that governors could use state police to intimidate political opponents, suppress protests, harass journalists or target minority communities.
Gbajabiamila acknowledged that concern, stressing that bringing policing closer to citizens must not come at the expense of citizens’ rights.
“But proximity does not guarantee justice.”
He said the proposed law must contain safeguards against the abuse of state police by political authorities.
“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.”
This concern has also featured in wider discussions about the proposed constitutional amendment. Legal experts and civil society advocates have stressed that decentralisation must be accompanied by effective checks and balances.
Oversight and Accountability
Another major question is who will police the police.
The proposed framework is expected to address complaints, disciplinary procedures, independent oversight, professional standards and mechanisms for investigating serious misconduct.
The government says these safeguards are necessary to ensure that state police officers remain accountable under the Constitution, human rights obligations and the rule of law.
Recruitment and Training
The proposed National Policing Bill is expected to establish national minimum standards for the recruitment, vetting and training of police officers.
This could prevent individual states from creating dramatically different standards of policing and ensure that officers across the country operate within a common professional framework.
Funding
Funding is another major consideration.
State governments would be expected to establish and finance their police services, raising questions about the ability of poorer states to maintain adequate personnel, equipment, training, welfare and operational infrastructure.
The proposed framework therefore places emphasis on state readiness and certification before a state police service can begin operations.
What’s Being Said
Gbajabiamila said Nigeria should not be forced to choose between effective community policing and protection from political abuse.
“For too long, the debate has been framed as a choice between effective local policing and protection from political abuse. Nigeria needs both.”
He added:
“We can bring policing closer to the people while building strong national standards, independent oversight and firm safeguards for every citizen.”
The Presidential Working Group chairman said officers familiar with a community’s language, geography and crime patterns could be better positioned to gather intelligence and respond to threats.
But he insisted that the reform must not compromise citizens’ rights.
“The law must protect citizens regardless of who holds office.”
He said the framework should make unlawful orders easier for officers to resist, misconduct easier to investigate and political interference more difficult to conceal.
What Will the National Policing Bill Do?
The proposed Bill is expected to provide the operational framework that will make the constitutional reform workable.
According to the Presidency, it will address:
- National minimum policing standards;
- State readiness and certification;
- Recruitment and vetting;
- Training and professional development;
- Remuneration and pensions;
- Equipment and operational standards;
- Use of force;
- Police complaints and discipline;
- Independent oversight;
- Human rights safeguards;
- Intelligence-sharing;
- Federal-state cooperation; and
- Accountability mechanisms.
The Federal Government launched a seven-week roadmap for developing the Bill, with the Presidential Working Group expected to work on the framework from July 27 to September 14, 2026.
This means today’s deadline for public submissions is not the end of the reform process but part of a broader consultation and legislative-development exercise.
Constitutional Hurdle Remains
Despite the momentum around state police, the proposed system is not yet operational.
The constitutional amendment must complete the remaining legislative stages before state police can become legally possible.
The amendment requires approval by at least two-thirds of the 36 state Houses of Assembly — 24 states — before it can be transmitted to the President for assent.
The National Assembly has already advanced the amendment, and the process has moved to the state legislatures.
The Senate has also expressed an intention to complete the constitutional amendment process before the end of 2026.
Until the constitutional process is completed, the Nigeria Police Force remains the country’s constitutionally recognised police institution.
State Police Will Not Be Automatic
One important distinction in the proposed framework is that constitutional approval will not automatically create 36 state police forces.
According to the Presidency, each state that decides to establish its own police service will need:
- An enabling state law;
- Appropriate institutional structures;
- Sustainable funding;
- Properly recruited and trained personnel; and
- Compliance with nationally established conditions before operations can commence.
States that do not establish their own police services will continue to rely on the Nigeria Police Force.
This approach is intended to prevent a situation where every state is compelled to establish a police service regardless of its financial or institutional capacity.
Federal Police Will Remain Relevant
The proposed system is not designed to abolish federal policing.
Instead, it envisages a dual structure in which the Federal Police Service and State Police Services operate within defined jurisdictions and cooperate on matters that cross state boundaries.
This makes intelligence-sharing particularly important.
Criminal networks do not operate according to state borders, meaning kidnapping, trafficking, organised crime and other offences can quickly move from one jurisdiction to another.
The proposed Bill is therefore expected to establish rules governing cooperation and intelligence exchange between federal and state police authorities.
The Bigger Picture
Nigeria’s proposed state police system is part of a broader debate about whether the country’s security architecture is sufficiently responsive to its federal structure.
Supporters see decentralised policing as an opportunity to bring law enforcement closer to communities, improve intelligence gathering and strengthen responses to local security challenges.
Critics, however, fear that without strong institutional safeguards, state police could become vulnerable to political capture.
The challenge, therefore, is not merely to create state police, but to build a system in which local control does not undermine professional independence, constitutional rights and accountability.
As senior lawyer Olisa Agbakoba has argued, decentralisation without adequate safeguards could turn state police into instruments of oppression.
What’s Next
The immediate deadline is 5pm today, when the Presidency will stop receiving public submissions on the proposed National Policing Bill.
The Presidential Working Group will then continue its work on the proposed framework, incorporating relevant submissions into the legislative process.
Meanwhile, the constitutional amendment will proceed through the state Houses of Assembly.
If at least 24 states approve the amendment, it can move to the President for assent.
After the constitutional hurdle is cleared, states will still have to decide whether they are ready and willing to establish their own police services.
The National Policing Bill will also need to complete its own legislative journey before the new policing framework can become operational.
Bottom Line
Nigeria is standing at the threshold of a potentially historic transformation of its policing system.
The proposed State Police framework promises closer policing, faster responses and better use of local intelligence, but it also presents serious questions about political interference, human rights, funding, accountability and institutional independence.
The success of the reform will ultimately depend not on how quickly state police is created, but on how carefully the system is designed and how effectively its safeguards are enforced.
For now, Nigerians have until 5pm today, August 13, 2026, to help shape the rules that could determine how policing is conducted across the country for decades to come.
