The Federal Government has submitted the draft National Policing Bill, 2026, and 29 related amendment bills to the Ministry of Justice for legal review, marking another step towards establishing state police in Nigeria.
The Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill submitted the documents to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice on Monday, October 19, according to a statement issued on Tuesday by the group’s chairman and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
The ministry is expected to complete its legislative drafting review and return the validated documents to the working group by October 30.
The group will then conduct a final review before submitting the bills to President Bola Tinubu for consideration and subsequent transmission to the National Assembly.
The proposed legislation seeks to establish a dual policing structure comprising a Federal Police Service and State Police Services, replacing the current constitutional arrangement under which policing is principally vested in the Nigeria Police Force.
The Ministry of Justice’s review is intended to ensure that the proposed laws meet legislative drafting standards and do not conflict with existing legislation.
The process is running alongside consideration of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, by state Houses of Assembly. The constitutional amendment must secure the required state-level approval before proceeding to the next stage.
The Senate passed the proposed constitutional amendment on June 24, while the House of Representatives passed it on July 23. The National Assembly subsequently transmitted the bill to the 36 state assemblies on September 16 for consideration.
At least 24 state assemblies must approve a constitutional amendment before it can proceed under the constitutional alteration process.
Several assemblies have endorsed the proposal, including those in Ogun, Delta, Plateau, Kwara and Adamawa, alongside Edo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers and Zamfara, which had earlier approved the amendments.
However, the process has not been uniform. The Adamawa Assembly approved 24 of the bill’s 26 clauses but rejected two, with lawmakers citing concerns about their clarity.
The Kebbi State House of Assembly has received the proposed amendment and referred it to its Committee on Internal Security for further consideration.
Gbajabiamila said the working group remained committed to producing a comprehensive legislative proposal for the President’s consideration.
Tinubu inaugurated the seven-member working group on July 7 and tasked it with producing a technically robust, implementation-ready policing bill. Its steering committee began work on August 3.
Supporters of state police argue that decentralising policing would improve local intelligence gathering and enable faster responses to security threats. However, concerns remain over possible political interference by governors, abuse of power and the need for effective accountability mechanisms.
The proposed framework is intended to provide for federal and state policing while establishing safeguards for human rights, operational standards and coordination between the two levels of service.
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