The Presidency has announced that public submissions on the proposed National Policing Bill will close at 5pm on Thursday, August 13, 2026, urging Nigerians to submit their views on the planned establishment of state police.

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

Gbajabiamila said the consultation was designed to draw on the experiences and professional expertise of Nigerians in developing a policing framework that would address the country’s security challenges while protecting citizens’ rights.

He said public submissions would help the government address concerns surrounding political interference, police misconduct, oversight and intelligence-sharing between federal and state police services.

According to him, the consultation would not replace the constitutional role of the National Assembly, which would retain the authority to scrutinise, amend, reject or pass the proposed legislation when transmitted.

Gbajabiamila urged Nigerians to contribute to the process, particularly on safeguards against political interference, mechanisms for investigating serious police misconduct and systems for sharing 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.

The former Speaker of the House of Representatives said state police could bring policing closer to communities and improve responses to local security challenges, but warned that its proximity to state governments created legitimate concerns over possible abuse of power.

He said the proposed framework must contain strong safeguards against governors using state police to target political opponents, protesters, journalists, minority communities or other citizens.

“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,” Gbajabiamila said.

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

The proposed framework, he said, should also 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 noted that officers familiar with the language, geography and crime patterns of their communities could be better positioned to gather intelligence and respond to security threats.

However, he stressed that the reform 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,” he said.

“It must make unlawful orders easier to resist, misconduct easier to investigate and political interference harder to hide.”

Constitutional Amendment Required

On the legislative process, Gbajabiamila explained that the Constitution currently provides for a single Nigeria Police Force under Section 214, meaning a constitutional amendment is required before state police can be established.

He said both chambers of the National Assembly had approved proposed constitutional amendments providing for Federal Police Services and State Police Services, but the process was not yet complete.

According to him, the National Assembly must complete the remaining stages before transmitting the amendment to the state Houses of Assembly.

He explained that at least 24 of the 36 state Houses of Assembly must approve the amendment before it can proceed to the President for assent.

Gbajabiamila therefore stressed that state police remained a proposal until all constitutional requirements were fulfilled.

He also disclosed that the Presidential Working Group was preparing the National Policing Bill alongside the constitutional amendment process.

The proposed Bill, he said, would establish national standards covering recruitment, vetting, training, remuneration, pensions, equipment and professional conduct.

It would also provide rules governing the use of force, complaints, discipline, independent oversight, intelligence-sharing and cooperation between federal and state police services.

States to Decide Whether to Establish Police

Gbajabiamila clarified that state police would not automatically be established across the country even if the constitutional amendment and National Policing Bill became 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 were not ready or willing to establish their own police services would continue to be served by the Nigeria Police Force.

The Presidency is therefore urging Nigerians to submit their views before the 5pm Thursday deadline, as consultations continue on one of the country’s most significant proposed policing reforms.