Nigeria extends deadline for National Policing Bill submissions

The Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill has extended the deadline for public submissions of memoranda and position papers to Friday, August 21, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. West Africa Time. Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu and Chairman of the Working Group, announced the extension to allow stakeholders more time to provide substantive and technically sound contributions.

The proposed legislation aims to establish an operational, administrative, and funding framework for a policing architecture that addresses Nigeria’s security challenges. A central component of the bill is the potential establishment of state police. The Working Group emphasized that the consultation process is intended to address critical concerns, including safeguards against political interference by governors, mechanisms to prevent police misconduct, oversight structures, and intelligence-sharing between federal and state services.

Stakeholders, including legal practitioners, civil society organizations, security professionals, and academics, are encouraged to submit their views via the official National Policing Bill portal. The Working Group intends to deliver an implementation-ready draft to President Tinubu by September 3, 2026, before it is transmitted to the National Assembly for scrutiny and potential legislative action.