The presidency has urged Nigerians to submit their thoughts on the National Policing Bill, announcing that submissions will close on Thursday (today) by 5:00 p.m.
Femi Gbajabiamila, the president Bola Tinubu’s chief of staff, who also serves as chair of the national working group on the policing bill, announced this in a statement on Thursday, urging Nigerians to express their opinions and give recommendations.
Gbajabiamila said the public consultation was aimed at addressing critical concerns surrounding the planned state police system, including political interference, police misconduct, independent oversight and intelligence-sharing between federal and state police services.
He stressed that the consultation would not replace the constitutional role of the National Assembly, which retains the power to scrutinise, amend, reject or pass the Bill when it is eventually transmitted.
According to him, Nigerians should make their voices heard on crucial issues, including how state police can be shielded from political control, who should investigate serious cases of police misconduct and how intelligence can be effectively shared across state boundaries.
“For too long, the debate has been framed as a choice between effective local policing and protection from political abuse. Nigeria needs both,” Gbajabiamila said.
“We can bring policing closer to the people while building strong national standards, independent oversight and firm safeguards for every citizen. The time to fix policing in Nigeria is now, and we must see the work through.”
Gbajabiamila said one of the major concerns the proposed law must address is the possibility of governors using state-controlled police forces against political opponents, peaceful protesters, journalists and minority communities.
While acknowledging that state police could improve responses to local security challenges, he warned that bringing policing closer to state governments does not automatically guarantee justice.
“Proximity does not guarantee justice. The concern that governors might use state police against political opponents, minority communities or dissenting voices is serious and must be answered in the design of the law,” he said.
He explained that any state police service must operate within the limits of the Constitution, human rights provisions and the rule of law, while officers must be properly recruited, vetted, trained, equipped and supervised.
The proposed framework, he added, should also provide citizens with credible channels for lodging complaints and ensure strong and independent oversight of police activities.
Gbajabiamila said the broader goal of the reform was to build a policing system that is closer to communities, faster in responding to threats and better informed by local realities.
According to him, officers who understand a community’s language, geography and crime patterns could be better positioned to gather intelligence and respond effectively to security challenges.
But he maintained that the new system must not sacrifice the rights of citizens.
“The law must protect citizens regardless of who holds office. It must protect opposition parties, peaceful protesters, journalists and minority communities,” he said.
“It must make unlawful orders easier to resist, misconduct easier to investigate and political interference harder to hide.”
On the legal process, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives noted that state police cannot yet be established because Section 214 of the Constitution currently provides for only one police force — the Nigeria Police Force.
He said constitutional amendment remains a necessary step before state police can become a reality.
According to Gbajabiamila, both chambers of the National Assembly have approved proposed constitutional amendments providing for a Federal Police Service and State Police Services, but the process is yet to be completed.
The amendments must still pass through the remaining legislative stages and be approved by at least 24 of the 36 state Houses of Assembly before they can be transmitted to the President for assent.
“Until those steps are completed, state police remains a proposal,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Working Group is preparing the National Policing Bill to complement the constitutional amendment process.
Gbajabiamila said the proposed law would set national standards covering recruitment, vetting, training, remuneration, pensions, equipment and professional conduct.
It would also establish rules on the use of force, complaints, discipline, independent oversight, intelligence-sharing and cooperation between federal and state police services.
He further clarified that even if the constitutional amendment and National Policing Bill eventually become law, state police would not automatically take off across all 36 states.
“Each state that chooses to establish a service will still need its own enabling law, institutions and funding. It must also meet the national conditions for operation before its officers can begin policing,” he said.
States that are not ready or willing to establish their own police services, he added, would continue to be served by the Nigeria Police Force.
