The Presidency has set 5 pm on Thursday, August 13, 2026, as the deadline for Nigerians to submit their views on the proposed National Policing Bill, which seeks to provide a framework for the establishment of state police.

The Chief of Staff to the President and Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, Femi Gbajabiamila, announced the deadline on Wednesday.

He said the consultation was intended to bring the experiences and professional knowledge of Nigerians into the proposed legislation, particularly on issues surrounding political interference, police misconduct, oversight and intelligence-sharing between federal and state police services.

Gbajabiamila urged Nigerians to send their submissions before the deadline, stressing that the consultation would not take away the legislative powers of the National Assembly.

According to him, the National Assembly would still have the authority to scrutinise, amend, reject or pass the Bill when it is eventually transmitted.

He also called for contributions on how state police could be protected from political interference, who should investigate serious misconduct and how federal and state police services could share intelligence across state boundaries.

He said, “For too long, the debate has been framed as a choice between effective local policing and protection from political abuse. Nigeria needs both.

“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 the proposed state police system must include safeguards to prevent governors from using the force against political opponents, protesters, journalists, minority communities and other citizens.

The former Speaker of the House of Representatives said state police could bring policing closer to communities and improve responses to local security challenges, but acknowledged concerns about the possible abuse of power by state governments.

He said, “But 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 state police services must operate within their jurisdictions while remaining subject to the Constitution, human rights and the rule of law.

Gbajabiamila added that the proposed framework should provide for proper recruitment, training, equipment and supervision of officers, while giving citizens access to credible complaint and oversight mechanisms.

He said the reforms were intended to create a policing system that was “closer, faster and better informed by local conditions,” adding that officers who understand the language, geography and crime patterns of their communities would be better placed to gather intelligence and respond to security threats.

He stressed that the proposed system must protect citizens irrespective of their political affiliation.

“The law must protect citizens regardless of who holds office. It must protect opposition parties, peaceful protesters, journalists and minority communities.

“It must make unlawful orders easier to resist, misconduct easier to investigate and political interference harder to hide,” he said.

On the legal process, Gbajabiamila said the Constitution currently provides for only one police force, the Nigeria Police Force, under Section 214. He said this meant that a constitutional amendment was required before state police could be established.

He disclosed that both chambers of the National Assembly had approved proposed constitutional amendments providing for a Federal Police Service and State Police Services, but said the process had not been completed.

According to him, the National Assembly must conclude the remaining stages before transmitting the amendment to the state Houses of Assembly.

He explained that at least 24 of the 36 state legislatures must approve the amendment before it can be forwarded to the President for assent.

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Gbajabiamila stressed that state police remained a proposal until those constitutional steps were completed.

He also disclosed that the Presidential Working Group was developing the National Policing Bill alongside the constitutional amendment process.

According to him, the Bill would set national standards for recruitment, vetting, training, remuneration, pensions, equipment and professional conduct.

It would also provide rules on the use of force, complaints, discipline, independent oversight, intelligence sharing and cooperation between federal and state police services.

Gbajabiamila said the establishment of state police would not automatically apply to every state even if the constitutional amendment and National Policing Bill became law.

“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.

He added that states that were not ready to establish their own police services would continue to be served by the Nigeria Police Force.