The Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill says it remains on schedule to complete its seven week assignment as the first formal drafting phase of the proposed legislation begins.
Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila, who chairs the working group, said the process had moved from initial organization into substantive policy and legislative drafting.
The extended deadline for public memoranda and position papers closes at 5pm West African Time on August 21, 2026.
Gbajabiamila said the Policy Advisory Committee, chaired by retired Justice Mohammed Abdullahi Liman, had completed the first stage of its oversight work and provided policy direction for the drafting process.
Legal drafters nominated by the Federal Ministry of Justice have also started work.
The drafting exercise is taking place alongside a national consultation involving professional organizations, civil society groups, security stakeholders, experts, public institutions and individual citizens.
Submissions received through the consultation are being reviewed and analyzed for possible incorporation into the bill.
Gbajabiamila said the working group would intensify drafting after the consultation window closed.
The proposed legislation is intended to create a constitutional and legal framework for a dual policing structure consisting of a Federal Police Service and State Police Services.
The working group is also expected to recommend institutional safeguards, accountability mechanisms and oversight arrangements.
Supporters of the process argue that decentralized policing could improve local responsiveness, while critics have raised concerns about possible political abuse, uneven capacity and funding.
The working group said those concerns formed part of the issues being considered in the consultation.
Gbajabiamila thanked stakeholders that had submitted memoranda and said their contributions would help shape a more comprehensive framework. The final proposal is expected to be presented to President Bola Tinubu before possible transmission to the National Assembly
