The Federal government has extended the deadline for the submission of memoranda and position papers on the proposed National Policing Bill to Friday, August 21, 2026, as part of efforts to broaden public participation.
The extension was announced on Thursday by the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, which said interested individuals, institutions and organisations now have until 5:00 p.m. West Africa Time on the new deadline to submit their recommendations on the proposed legislation.
In a statement signed by the Chief of Staff to the President and Chairman of the Presidential Working Group, Femi Gbajabiamila, the committee said the additional time was approved to ensure that stakeholders have adequate opportunity to make comprehensive and technically sound contributions capable of strengthening the proposed law.
According to the statement, the Working Group remains committed to developing a National Policing Bill that reflects broad national consensus through an inclusive consultation process involving professionals, institutions and citizens from across the country.
“The Presidential Working Group is committed to ensuring that the process of developing the National Policing Bill benefits from broad consultation and the informed perspectives of Nigerians and relevant stakeholders,” the statement said.
Gbajabiamila explained that the proposed legislation is designed to establish the operational, administrative, institutional and funding framework required for a more effective policing architecture capable of responding to Nigeria’s evolving security challenges.
He said the Bill is expected to strengthen professionalism, improve accountability, modernise policing operations and provide stronger safeguards for the protection of citizens’ rights while addressing longstanding institutional deficiencies within the nation’s law enforcement system.
The Presidential Working Group stressed that the complexity of policing reforms requires extensive public engagement and expert input before the legislation is finalised.
According to Gbajabiamila, issues requiring careful consideration include sustainable funding mechanisms, command and control structures, recruitment and training standards, operational jurisdiction, inter-agency coordination, accountability systems and safeguards against political interference or abuse of policing powers.
“These considerations underscore the importance of robust stakeholder engagement in developing a framework that is effective, accountable, sustainable and responsive to the peculiar security needs of communities across the federation,” he added.
The Working Group encouraged legal practitioners, civil society organisations, security sector professionals, state governments, professional bodies, academics, policy experts and interested members of the public to take advantage of the extended consultation window by submitting memoranda and position papers exclusively through the official National Policing Bill portal before the new deadline.
It also expressed appreciation to stakeholders who had already made submissions, describing their contributions as vital to producing a credible and implementation-ready legal framework.
The Working Group disclosed that, upon completing the nationwide consultation process, it will prepare a final implementation-ready draft of the National Policing Bill for submission to President Bola Tinubu.
Following presidential review and approval, the Executive Bill will be transmitted to the National Assembly for legislative consideration as part of the Federal government’s broader security reform agenda.
The committee is expected to present the completed Executive Bill package to the President on September 3, 2026.
The National Policing Bill is one of the flagship initiatives of the Tinubu administration aimed at overhauling Nigeria’s policing system amid persistent security challenges, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, organised crime and communal violence across several parts of the country.
The public consultation process officially commenced on August 3, 2026, when Gbajabiamila announced the launch of the National Policing Bill portal and invited stakeholders to submit memoranda within an initial two-week consultation window.
Security experts have long argued that Nigeria’s existing policing framework requires comprehensive legal and institutional reforms to improve operational efficiency, enhance accountability, strengthen cooperation among security agencies, and promote community-oriented policing.
