The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN), has said the association accepted membership of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill to help develop a legal framework that would prevent the proposed state police system from being abused for political purposes.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Osigwe explained that the NBA’s participation reflects its commitment to promoting good governance through laws that strengthen accountability, protect citizens’ rights and improve national security.
According to him, the idea of state police had for years faced resistance because of concerns that state governors could deploy the outfit to intimidate political opponents and suppress dissent.
“There is initially an aversion to the creation of state police, the fear being that it will be abused by state governors, it will be politicised and become an official tool of oppression,” he said.
Osigwe, however, observed that the country’s growing security challenges have significantly changed public perception, with many Nigerians now recognising the need for a decentralised policing structure.
He stressed that the success of the proposed system would depend on the establishment of robust constitutional safeguards capable of preventing abuse.
“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,” he added.
The NBA President said the association could not decline an opportunity to contribute to drafting legislation that would strengthen Nigeria’s policing architecture while protecting democratic values and fundamental rights.
“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 said.
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday inaugurated the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, which is tasked with developing the legal framework for the implementation of state police following the passage of the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026 by the National Assembly.
The working group includes representatives of the NBA alongside other key stakeholders, including the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the National Security Adviser, and the Inspector-General of Police, all of whom are expected to contribute to the development of a legal and institutional framework for the proposed state policing system.