Gbajabiamila: State Police’ll Only Become Operational After Conclusion Of All Constitutional Amendments

* Says president will get draft of the state policing bill on Sept 3

* Working group targets implementation-ready legal framework for dual policing system

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, has disclosed that state police will only become operational across the 36 states of the federation after the conclusion of the ongoing constitutional amendments.

Speaking with newsmen on Monday after a meeting of the working group at the State House, Abuja, Gbajabiamila, who is the Chief of Staff to the president, explained that 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.

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

He stressed that the Federal Government remained committed to ensuring that decentralised policing would not undermine national unity or the rule of law, saying: “State police cannot mean 36 state militias.”

The working group chairman 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 stated that the working group will submit an executive bill package to President Bola Tinubu on September 3, 2026 as part of efforts to establish the legal and operational framework for the proposed state police system.

According to him, 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 stated 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.

His words: “The resulting executive bill package is scheduled for presentation to the president on the 3rd of September. We have arranged the process so that the national consultation will come before the president’s final approval, after which the text and supporting materials will be revised and prepared for formal transmission 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.

He stated that 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.

He explained that those issues 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.

The working group chairman 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 added that the president has also 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.

According to him, the committee 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.

The final submission, Gbajabiamila said, 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.

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.

Gbajabiamila 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.

Answering 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 stated.

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

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.

“The federal police remains in place until such a time when the state is able to come on board with the state police,” he said.

Also speaking, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) reaffirmed its support for the proposed National Policing Bill, describing the establishment of state police as one of the most consequential reforms of President Tinubu’s government.

It also dismissed concerns that the initiative is designed to retain federal control over state policing.

Speaking on behalf of the 36 state governors at the briefing, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State said the proposed legislation is intended to provide the legal and operational framework required for the effective implementation of state police rather than centralise policing powers.

On concerns over possible federal overreach, Abiodun said the Working Group was focused on translating the constitutional amendment into an implementable law that clearly defines the responsibilities of both federal and state police services.

“That is not actually so. Someone has to be responsible for ensuring that the amendment now reflects in a Bill that can be operated, and that’s what we’re working on,” he said.

The Ogun governor explained that the proposed National Policing Bill would address key implementation issues, including consequential amendments to existing laws, the delineation of the powers of the Federal and State Police, funding arrangements and other operational matters critical to the successful implementation of state policing.

“This Bill has to do with different consequential amendments… Where do the powers of the Federal Police stop? Where do the powers of the State Police start?” he said.

Abiodun also acknowledged disparities in the financial capacity of states, disclosing that the Working Group is considering recommending federal grants to support states in establishing their police services.

“Part of what we are doing also will recommend some form of grant from the Federal to ensure a start-up.”

On his part, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), said the primary objective of the proposed legislation is to strengthen the protection of lives and property while ensuring that state police could never become instruments of political persecution.

He explained that where any state was not yet prepared to establish its own police service, the Nigeria Police Force would continue to provide policing until such capacity was developed.

“Law abhors a vacuum, so the federal presence will continue to dominate in that area,” Fagbemi said.

The AGF defended the proposed minimum national policing standards, saying they were essential to guarantee equal protection for Nigerians irrespective of where they resided.

“The main thrust of this bill is to ensure security of lives and property, and it is also important that we do not make state policing a weapon of political persecution or oppression.

“There must be standards. There must be the minimum threshold to guarantee the continued existence and operation of society,” he said.

According to him, the standards would be aligned with globally recognised policing practices and ensure that officers moving between the federal and state police services would not lose their benefits.

“If you are onboarding from the federal to the state police, it is important that the same benefit you derive must not be any less. The only difference will be that one is by the federal and the other by the state. If you leave the door open, then all sorts of situations will come in, and this will not be good enough for society,” Fagbemi stated.