Tinubu to review state police bill September 3, Presidency

Nigeria's Presidency has announced that President Bola Tinubu will review the Executive National Policing Bill on September 3, 2026. This move is part of a significant reform effort to establish a more effective policing system across the country. To ensure public participation, a dedicated portal, nationalpolicingbill.com, has been launched, allowing Nigerians to submit memoranda and position papers.

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The resulting Executive Bill package is scheduled for presentation to the President on the 3rd of September.

Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President and Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, detailed the process. The approved work program spans seven weeks, from July 27 to September 14, 2026. The goal is to design a lawful, professional, and sustainable federal and state policing system. This system aims to enhance capabilities closer to the people while preserving national standards, security, and the rights of all Nigerians.

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This is a monumental reform that Nigerians have debated for many years.

Gbajabiamila explained that the final package presented to the President will be comprehensive, including various analyses and reports. Following the President's approval, the bill and supporting materials will be revised and prepared for formal transmission to the National Assembly. This process is crucial as it follows the constitutional amendment for state police, which has passed the Senate and House of Representatives but requires approval from State Houses of Assembly to become effective.

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Our central task now is to design 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.

Until the constitutional amendment is fully enacted, the Nigeria Police Force remains the sole constitutionally recognized police institution. Gbajabiamila stressed that state policing must not be used as an instrument of political control, underscoring the importance of balancing decentralized policing with national security and individual rights. The reform aims to address a debate that has persisted for many years in Nigeria.

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The constitutional amendment is, however, not yet in force. It must obtain the approval required from the State Houses of Assembly as prescribed under the Constitution. Until that process is concluded, there is no operational State Police Service anywhere in Nigeria, and the Nigeria Police Force remains the constitutionally recognised police institution.