The Federal Government has commenced the process of developing the legal and operational framework for the implementation of state policing in Nigeria, announcing plans to produce a comprehensive National Policing Bill to guide the transition to a dual federal and state policing system.

The initiative comes as the National Assembly advances constitutional amendments aimed at establishing state police, although officials insist no state police service currently exists anywhere in the country.

Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed the development while briefing journalists on Monday in Abuja.

He said the government had adopted a seven-week, milestone-driven programme to draft the legislation that would define the structure, responsibilities and operational framework of both federal and state policing institutions.

Gbajabiamila explained that while lawmakers had recorded significant progress on the constitutional amendment, the process remained incomplete until it secured the required endorsement of state Houses of Assembly and was backed by implementing legislation.

According to him, the Senate approved the constitutional proposal on June 24, 2026, while the House of Representatives passed the Executive State Police Bill on July 23, 2026.

He stressed that the Nigerian Police Force remains the country’s only constitutionally recognised policing institution until the constitutional amendment is fully concluded and the necessary legal framework is enacted.

“There is no operational state police service anywhere in Nigeria today. The Nigerian Police Force remains the constitutionally recognised police institution,” Gbajabiamila said.

He added, “The constitutional amendment creates the authority and broad architecture for federal and state policing, but it does not by itself provide the complete operating framework.”

The proposed National Policing Bill is expected to establish the legal, administrative and operational guidelines required for the eventual implementation of state police once the constitutional amendment process is completed.