The Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill has extended the deadline for the submission of memoranda and position papers on the proposed legislation to Friday, August 21, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. West Africa Time.
The extension was announced in a statement signed by the Chief of Staff to the President and Chairman of the Presidential Working Group, Femi Gbajabiamila.
According to the statement, the decision was taken to give individuals, institutions and organisations more time to make substantive contributions to the proposed legislation.
“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.
The proposed bill is expected to establish the operational, administrative, institutional and funding framework for an effective policing system capable of responding to Nigeria’s evolving security challenges.
It is also designed to strengthen accountability and professionalism while providing safeguards for the protection of citizens’ rights.
Gbajabiamila said the significance of the proposed reform to Nigeria’s policing and internal security made it necessary to provide stakeholders with additional time to submit detailed and technically sound recommendations.
Legal practitioners, civil society organisations, security sector professionals, state governments, professional associations, academics, experts and members of the public were urged to take advantage of the extended deadline.
Submissions are to be made exclusively through the official National Policing Bill portal, on or before the new deadline.
The Working Group said the development of an effective policing framework required careful consideration of issues including sustainable funding, command and control structures, recruitment and training standards, operational jurisdiction, inter-agency coordination, accountability mechanisms and safeguards against political interference and abuse.
“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,” Gbajabiamila said.
He added that the Working Group would, at the end of its assignment, submit a final, implementation-ready draft of the National Policing Bill for legislative consideration.
The committee thanked stakeholders who had already submitted their memoranda and encouraged others who wished to participate to use the additional time provided.
The National Policing Bill portal was launched on August 3, 2026, when Gbajabiamila announced the commencement of the public consultation during a briefing on the proposed reform.
The Working Group is expected to present the completed Executive Bill package to President Bola Tinubu for review on September 3, 2026.
