Nigeria Launches Roadmap for State Police Legal Framework

The Presidency of Nigeria has launched a seven-week, milestone-driven program running from July 27 to September 14, 2026, to develop a legal framework for implementing state police. Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President and Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, announced that the resulting Executive Bill package will be presented to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on September 3, 2026.

The initiative aims to transition Nigeria from a centralized policing structure to a dual federal and state system. While the Senate approved a constitutional proposal on June 24 and the House of Representatives passed an Executive State Police Bill on July 23, no operational state police service currently exists. The Nigerian Police Force remains the sole recognized institution until the amendments receive approval from state Houses of Assembly and implementing legislation is enacted.

To prevent state police from becoming political militias, the framework requires states to meet national standards for professionalism, accountability, and financial sustainability. Attorney General Lateef Fagbemi stated the bill will translate constitutional amendments into an operational framework, while Governor Dapo Abiodun described the reform as consequential. The government has launched nationalpolicingbill.com to gather public memoranda, and funding estimates will be determined on a state-by-state basis rather than through general guesswork.