The proposed establishment of state police is inching closer to fruition as the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill officially concluded its drafting phase and submitted the draft National Policing Bill, 2026, alongside 29 consequential amendment bills, to the Federal Ministry of Justice for legislative review and legal validation.
The 30 bill legislative package was formally turned over to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice on Monday, October 19, 2026, marking a critical milestone in the federal government’s effort to overhaul Nigeria’s internal security model.
This was disclosed in a statement by by the Chairman of the Working Group and Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.
According to the statement, Gbajabiamila noted that the submission strictly follows the panel’s timeline and aims to subject the bills to the technical vetting of the Justice Ministry.
The exercise is intended to verify that the draft legislations adhere to standard legislative drafting conventions and reconcile potential conflicts with existing federal enactments.
At the centre of the submission is the draft National Policing Bill, 2026, which provides the substantive statutory backing for a decentralized, dual policing structure consisting of a Federal Police Service and State Police Services.
To avert jurisdictional friction and operational overlap between federal and sub-national law enforcement agencies, the panel accompanied the principal bill with 29 consequential amendment bills. These companion drafts propose amendments across related legal instruments, criminal statutes, and administrative guidelines to harmonize national policing standards and oversight mechanisms.
The Federal Ministry of Justice is expected to complete its validation process and return the vetted drafts to the working group on or before Friday, October 30, 2026. Upon receipt, the committee will conduct a final review before formally presenting the entire legislative bundle to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which will mark the conclusion of the panel’s assignment.
The committee’s legal drafting is running in lockstep with the ongoing consideration of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, across the State Houses of Assembly. The constitutional alteration must complete its ratification cycle in the state legislatures before the executive branch can transmit the validated policing bills to the National Assembly for passage.
Gbajabiamila reiterated the working group’s commitment to an exhaustive and transparent procedure, noting that the resulting statutes will deliver a robust legal architecture capable of tackling security challenges while maintaining unified national policing benchmarks.
