President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Afam Osigwe, has explained the association’s decision to participate in the newly inaugurated Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, saying the NBA is committed to helping develop legal safeguards that address public concerns over the proposed creation of state police.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Osigwe said the NBA would not shy away from contributing to policy and legislative initiatives aimed at strengthening governance and improving national security.
According to him, while the association has often raised concerns about government actions, it remains equally committed to constructive engagement and nation-building.
Osigwe noted that opposition to state police had historically been driven by fears that governors could abuse the system, turning state-controlled police forces into political tools for oppression. However, he said worsening insecurity across parts of the country has led many Nigerians to reconsider their position and embrace the need for a decentralised policing structure.
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“There is initially an aversion to creation of state police, the fear being that it will be abused by state governors, it will be politicized and they will become like an official tool of oppression. But then, with the worsening state of insecurity in some parts of Nigeria, most Nigerians now agree that the national police system cannot work, that there is a need for a state police.
“But in having it, to address the fears which in the first place made it difficult for us to have state police, we have to ensure that the right constitutional structures are put in place. An NBA has nothing against the government per se, it wants the government that respects the rule of law and does the right thing.
“And if in this process the NBA has been given an opportunity to contribute to drafting laws that will ensure that these fears are addressed, that will enact laws that will make a better policing system in Nigeria, the NBA cannot run away from that. We may criticise but we should be willing to also constructively engage and contribute to building a better society.”
Osigwe’s comments come a day after President Bola Tinubu inaugurated the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, a key step towards establishing the legal framework for the implementation of state police across Nigeria.
According to a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu, represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, inaugurated the committee at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The inauguration followed the National Assembly’s passage of the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026, which proposes a dual policing structure comprising the Federal Police Service and 36 State Police Services.
The Presidency said that while the constitutional amendment provides the framework for state policing, the proposed National Policing Bill will establish the legal and operational structures required for its implementation.
According to Onanuga, the legislation is expected to address critical issues necessary for the smooth take-off and effective operation of state police services across the federation.
The NBA is represented on the committee through its president, alongside other key stakeholders, including the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), the National Security Adviser, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Chairman of the NGF Committee on State Police.
A secretariat has also been established to provide administrative support to the committee as it undertakes its assignment of developing the legal framework for the proposed state policing system.