The federal and state governments are discussing the prospect of state police instead of the vigilantes that are being used in some states, according to the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mallam Mohammed Idris.
Modalities for state police and addressing security issues are to be discussed further at National Economic Council, the Presidency said.
Reporting on the Thursday’s meeting between President Bola Tinubu and state governors at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga said that modalities for state police and addressing security issues would be discussed further at National Economic Council.
The meeting follows recent hike in food prices, economic hardship, and insecurity recorded nationwide.
Briefing journalists after a meeting, the minister said that the process is still in its infancy and would only take shape after more deliberations between stakeholders.
He said: “Now, there is also a discussion around the issue of state police. The Federal Government and the state governments are mulling the possibility of setting up state police.
“Of course, this is still going to be further discussed. A lot of work has to be done in that direction. Both the Federal Government and the state governments agree on the necessity of having state police. Now this is a significant shift. But as I said, more work needs to be done in that direction.
“A lot of meetings will have to happen between the Federal Government and the sub-nationals to see the modalities of achieving this. Now, these are some of the issues that have been discussed”.
Onanuga said that the President made key pronouncements on insecurity, which is also affecting farming and food production. “More police personnel to be recruited to strengthen the force”, he said while President Tinubu charged the governors to strengthen their Forest Rangers and arm them to keep all the forest safe from criminals.
There have been clamour for state police as the country grapples with worsening security challenges, including kidnapping and banditry.
On Monday, governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) restated their position on state policing, as the solution to the country’s worsening security situation, lamenting that Nigeria is “almost on the road to Venezuela”.
Also, regional socio-political groups such as Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Middle Belt Forum, and the Northern Elders’ Forum, have repeatedly called for state police as solution the myriad of increasing security challenges confronting the nation.
Already, states in the South West geopolitical zone have formed a security outfit, Amotekun, while their counterparts in the South East also created state-owned security outfit, Ebube Agu. The Benue Guards has also been operational in Benue State in the North Central, while states like Katsina, Zamfara and other bandit-prone sub-nationals have come up with similar state-established outfits.
However, these outfits have not been effective as anticipated as they do not have the backing of the Federal Government or the Presidency, while states continue to demand that Amotekun, Ebube Agu and others are granted license to bear assault rifles like AK-47 to confront lethal gun-toting marauders.
The debate for the creation of state police in Nigeria primarily stems from the centralised nature of the Nigerian Police Force, which is inadequate for addressing the unique security challenges across the country’s diverse regions.
Proponents argue that the outfit would bring law enforcement closer to the communities they serve, enhance the effectiveness of policing, and allow for more localised control over security matters.
However, those who are against the idea fear that state police could lead to abuse of power, particularly in states with strong political control, potentially exacerbating regional tensions and undermining national unity.
The minister also revealed that the government will recruit a yet-to-be-disclosed number of personnel to “improve the numeric strength of forest rangers. To train them so that they can keep our forests and our borders very safe”.
