State policing bill ready for Tinubu September 3, says Gbajabiamila

The Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill will submit an executive bill package to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on September 3 as part of efforts to establish the legal and operational framework for the proposed state police system, Chairman of the committee and Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, announced on Monday.

Speaking after a meeting of the presidential working group at the State House, Abuja, Gbajabiamila said the package would go beyond draft legislation, providing the implementation blueprint required to operationalise a dual federal-state policing architecture once the constitutional amendment creating state police comes into force.

He disclosed that following the completion of the draft, a nationwide consultation would be held before the President grants final approval, after which the executive bill would be transmitted to the National Assembly.

Gbajabiamila described the exercise as one of the country’s most significant governance reforms, saying it was aimed at creating “a lawful, professional and sustainable federal and state policing system that places greater capability closer to the people while preserving national standards, national security and the rights of every Nigerian”.

He, however, stressed that despite the progress made by the National Assembly, no state police service currently exists in Nigeria because the constitutional amendment has not yet secured the approval of the required number of state Houses of Assembly. 

“The constitutional amendment is not yet in force. Until that process is concluded and the necessary implementing laws are enacted, there is no operational state police service anywhere in Nigeria, and the Nigeria Police Force remains the constitutionally recognised police institution”, he said.

According to him, while the constitutional amendment would create the legal authority for state policing, it would not by itself resolve critical operational issues such as recruitment, training, funding, command structures, jurisdiction, pensions, firearms regulation, data management, complaints mechanisms and inter-agency cooperation.

Those issues, he explained, would be addressed in the National Policing Bill and other consequential legislation being prepared by the working group.

“Our mandate is to produce a technically robust, implementation-ready draft National Policing Bill and supporting legislative package. We are building the legal and operational framework required to move from one federal police institution to a workable dual policing architecture”, he said.

He said the assignment also includes a review of the Police Act 2020, the Police Service Commission framework, police regulations and other laws affected by the reform, alongside provisions for minimum national policing standards, state certification, interstate cooperation, independent complaints institutions, human rights safeguards, forensic systems, funding arrangements and transition plans.

Gbajabiamila said President Tinubu had approved a multidisciplinary Policy Advisory Committee chaired by Justice Mohammed Abdullahi Liman to provide technical oversight and validate the bill, fiscal framework and implementation materials before executive consideration.

The committee, he noted, draws membership from the judiciary, academia, security agencies, the National Assembly, the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Bar Association, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and state Attorneys-General representing the six geopolitical zones. 

He explained that the seven-week work programme, running from July 27 to September 14, would proceed through simultaneous legal drafting, policy research, data analysis and implementation modelling.

According to him, the final submission will include schedules, an explanatory memorandum, legal audit, consequential amendments matrix, clause-by-clause analysis, state readiness framework, fiscal and implementation notes, validation report, risk register and a digital archive.

The Chief of Staff said the Federal Government remained committed to ensuring that decentralised policing would not undermine national unity or the rule of law.

“State police cannot mean 36 state militias”, he declared.

He added that while states must have a legitimate role in public safety, “no political office holder should be able to direct the arrest of an opponent, the suppression of lawful political activity, or the selective enforcement of the law”.

He further explained that federal intervention would remain “exceptional, evidence-based, proportionate, time-limited and reviewable”, while officers would remain accountable to the Constitution rather than political interests.

Gbajabiamila also said no state would be permitted to commence policing operations until it demonstrates readiness in recruitment, training, equipment, pensions, complaints handling, financial sustainability, firearms control and independent oversight.

“Operational commencement must be based on readiness, not announcement”, he said, adding that although states could exceed national benchmarks, “no Nigerian should receive a lower standard of protection because of where they reside”. 

To encourage public participation, he announced an open call for memoranda and position papers from Nigerians, civil society organisations, professional bodies, security institutions and other stakeholders.

He disclosed that a dedicated portal, nationalpolicingbill.com, had gone live to receive submissions, with plans for migration to a government domain.

“The whole idea behind state policing is for you and I and everybody out there to take ownership. No matter your station in life, you have an opportunity to contribute meaningfully”, he said.

Responding to questions on the financial implications of the reform, Gbajabiamila said it was premature to estimate costs, noting that expenditure would be determined through empirical research conducted on a state-by-state basis.

“There is no cost that will be too much to secure lives and property. But giving you a figure now would be pulling something out of thin air. The cost will be evidence-based and based on thorough research,” he said.

He also dismissed fears that some states might lack the capacity to establish police services, insisting that every state possesses some level of capability.

However, he explained that where a state is genuinely unable to meet the prescribed standards, the Nigeria Police Force would continue to provide policing services until the state becomes operational.