The proposed National Policing Bill has moved into a legal review phase after a presidential working group completed its draft and submitted it to the Federal Ministry of Justice alongside 29 related amendment bills.
Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, who chairs the working group, said the documents were submitted to Attorney General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi on October 19. The ministry is expected to return the validated drafts by October 30, after which the group will consider them before presentation to President Bola Tinubu.
The legislation is intended to provide an operational framework for a dual policing system comprising a federal police service and state police services. It is being prepared alongside the proposed constitutional alteration required to establish state policing. According to Gbajabiamila, the legal review will check consistency with existing laws and accepted drafting standards.
The proposed framework is expected to address minimum policing standards, certification of states’ readiness, coordination between federal and state services, human rights protections, accountability and financing conditions. Gbajabiamila has described the bill as a major legislative priority, while acknowledging that the constitutional amendment must complete its own approval process.
In a related development, the Delta State House of Assembly unanimously endorsed the proposed constitutional alteration, with all 23 members present voting in support. Speaker Emomotimi Guwor said state police could improve intelligence gathering and strengthen responses to local security threats. He directed the clerk to communicate the assembly’s decision to the National Assembly.
Lawmakers also observed a minute’s silence for former Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, whose death was reported on October 19. The bill and constitutional amendment remain proposals and have not yet established state police forces.
