• Afenifere, MBF, Ohanaeze support initiative, Galadima rejects
• Lawal: With control of security, Zamfara banditry would end in two months
• Northern Elders’ Forum calls for state of emergency in North-West

The Federal Government made a significant shift on the controversial issue of state police yesterday, after President Bola Tinubu declared the possibility of working “with the National Assembly to design a framework that guarantees local ownership while ensuring political neutrality.”

Tinubu made the comment at the State House while receiving members of the North-East Governors’ Forum led by Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum.

The President, who commended the resilience and collaboration of governors in the North-East, noted that despite daunting security and developmental challenges, the region has made remarkable progress in stabilisation, resettlement, and social services.

“I have looked more carefully at the security situation. I see the efforts of civilian JTFs and communities. This has again provoked my thinking on state police. We can work with the National Assembly to design a framework that guarantees local ownership while ensuring political neutrality,” the President declared.

Tinubu’s bold declaration signals the end of buck-passing after years of hesitation on the issue of insecurity, during which criminal elements and non-state actors took control of ungoverned spaces across the country, turning them into havens for armed insurrection against Nigeria.

Shortly after assuming office, former President Muhammadu Buhari declared his administration’s intention to recruit approximately 10,000 police officers, emphasising that the nation’s constitution stipulates the security of lives and property as a primary function of the government.

However, the proposal was never implemented, and insecurity continued to weigh heavily on Nigerians, particularly with the rise in banditry, years of Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East, as well as kidnapping for ransom and recurring clashes between farmers and cattle herders. For many, it appeared the country was sliding towards state failure.

Attempts by some influential figures to rationalise the menace—either as a tool of political bargaining or as an extension of the North-South socio-economic competition—left successive administrations caught in the middle, failing to address the challenge squarely as an existential problem.

Stripped of religious and political undertones, the situation only worsened. The security of lives and property deteriorated to the extent that Nigerians from all walks of life began to question when and where the rain of insurgency actually began to beat the nation.

Calls for state police, regarded as the proper step under a democracy, had long been coloured by regional disputation. But with the current disposition of the President, alongside consensus support from the National Economic Council, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), and other strategic stakeholders, it appears that something serious is about to happen.

TINUBU’s comments came as Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State declared that banditry would become a thing of the past in the state if he had direct control over security agencies.

In a viral video clip, the governor stated that he is aware of the movements of every bandit kingpin operating in Zamfara but is constrained because security chiefs in the state only take orders from Abuja.

“We have dozens of tracking facilities which we fixed across the state just to help security in tracking the bandits. I swear to Almighty Allah, wherever a bandits’ leader is located within Zamfara State, I know it and if he goes out, I know. With my mobile phone, I can show you where and where these bandits are today. But we cannot do anything beyond our powers,” he said.

The governor stressed that if given the power to issue orders to security agencies, he could end banditry within two months. He lamented: “Most of the time, I shed tears for my people because I can see a problem but because I don’t have control over the security agencies, I cannot order the security operatives to act in time. There was a time the bandits invaded Shinkafi local government and I was sitting here when the security operatives were alerted but they refused to go to Shinkafi simply because they were not given orders from Abuja. This is the problem we are facing but we entrusted God and surely, He will come to our rescue.”

Lawal noted that despite the challenges, his administration has continued to support security agencies with logistics and running costs. He recalled that about two months ago, the state government distributed 150 patrol vehicles to the police, army, DSS and civil defence, while thousands of personnel were recruited as Community Protection Guards (CPG). He added that over 2,000 local hunters from Borno and Yobe had also been engaged to complement conventional security operatives.

“I am doing all these despite the fact that I have no control over the security agencies. But because it’s my responsibility to protect the lives and properties of the people of Zamfara as the chief security officer of the state,” the governor said.

He also reiterated his willingness to provide for the basic needs of bandits if a lack of such was the reason for the violence. “If they are lacking water, I will provide them with water, if they are lacking schools, I will build schools for them just to have peace in the state,” he said.

The governor decried what he described as the politicisation of banditry by some individuals. “I want to remind those undermining our efforts in the fight against banditry that their actions are destroying the state, not Dauda Lawal as governor,” he said.

Lawal also recalled that during the recent by-election in the state, a large number of soldiers and other security personnel were deployed with heavy equipment to cover an election that took place in just six wards.

KATSINA State Governor, Dikko Radda, told The Guardian in an interview that upon assuming office, he declared security his first, second, and third priority.

He stated: “I have pledged that even if I am going to spend the whole resources of the state to reduce the insecurity, I will do that. And before six months of our administration, we were able to establish Katsina Community Watch, and we have established a law, we commissioned them, we gave them all the necessary equipment they may require.

“Almost 70 Hilux vehicles, almost over a thousand motorcycles, we provided them with ammo-carried vehicles. We provided them with weapons that are acceptable by the law, given to them with all the protective gadgets.

“I could not even imagine how this state could have been without this Katsina Community Watch. Even with the Katsina Community Watch and the combined effort of the security agencies in the state, we are still struggling to fight the insecurity.”

On their part, while noting that Nigeria’s stability and regional security are under threat, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) called for a state of emergency in the North-West, lamenting that “the state security architecture remains inadequate, overstretched, and in some cases complicit through inaction and silence and leaving citizens vulnerable.

The Northern Elders Forum (NEF), however, urged the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in Northern Nigeria, acknowledging the extraordinary scale of the crisis. It also called for the deployment of adequately trained, armed, and equipped security forces with clear rules of engagement to protect civilian populations and secure international border regions.

In a communiqué signed by its spokesperson, Professor Abubakar Jika Jiddere, the forum expressed grave concern over the spate of violent attacks, abductions, and killings across the region, warning that continued inaction could undermine Nigeria’s stability and threaten regional peace.

The NEF recalled the August 19 attack on a mosque in Unguwan Mantau Village, where armed assailants killed at least 27 worshippers during early morning prayers, leaving several injured and displacing hundreds.

It also condemned the execution of 35 abductees in Zamfara State despite ransom payments, as well as two separate attacks in Kaduna State’s Kauru and Kudan LGAs, which left eight dead and eight others severely injured.

“These incidents are not isolated cases, rather they are part of a persistent pattern of organised criminal violence and banditry that have claimed thousands of lives, displaced hundreds of thousands of citizens, undermined food security, crippled economic activity, and inflicted deep psychological and social trauma on individuals and several communities.

“The NEF observes with deep regret that the state security architecture remains inadequate, overstretched, and in some cases complicit through inaction and silence, leaving citizens vulnerable and helpless while eroding public trust in government institutions.”

Citing the 1999 Constitution, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, he said: “Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), states that, the inherent right to life shall be protected by law, and no one shall arbitrarily be deprived of life.

“The recurring atrocities in Northern Nigeria constitute serious breaches of these obligations, and in their scale and persistence, will amount to crimes against humanity under international law and humanitarian cases,” the forum declared.

Taking a stand on the challenges of decentralising the security architecture, the Vice-President Kashim Shettima-led National Economic Council (NEC) disclosed that the body is poised to cross the T’s and dot the I’s in January next year, after which the matter of state police will be laid to rest with a final endorsement by the National Assembly.

It could be recalled that on three occasions the Council met, members emerged without a final consensus on the matter, as faltering states including Kwara, Sokoto, Kebbi, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) delayed in submitting their positions on state police.

As a consequence, terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers, and other criminal elements continued to run amok, bringing sorrow, tears, and blood to citizens across the country.

It was perhaps in response to these developments that on September 4, 2024, NEC gave a deadline to the four faltering states to submit their position papers on state police before September 9, 2024.

NEC has therefore resolved to adopt comprehensive reports from the 36 states and the FCT, warning that any state which fails to submit its report will still be bound by the decision taken at resumption.

Addressing newsmen after the NEC meeting, Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, confirmed that 36 states had so far submitted their recommendations, with a majority of governors favourably disposed to the creation of state police.

“About 36 states have already made their submission for establishing state police in Nigeria. And I can say here that from what is available, virtually most of the states are in agreement with the establishment of state police in Nigeria.

“But the council decided to step down the discussion until the next council meeting, because we need to come up with a report from the secretariat. And after the report, there will be deliberation at the next NEC meeting that is likely taking place in January. And not only that, there’s also a resolution in the last NEC meeting, which today the Secretariat has also agreed on, that there will be further stakeholder engagement after the panel deliberation by the members of the NEC.

“Many states are in agreement for the establishment of state police, considering the fact that virtually every state has their peculiarity in terms of the problem we are having of insecurity in our own states.

“We have a lot of ungoverned space in Nigeria, and also we have a lot of deficit in terms of number of boots on ground. Looking at the fact that a lot of security agencies, the police, the army and other relevant agencies have no personnel to cover all the space.”

He explained that this was why “most of us agreed that establishment of state police in Nigeria is the way forward towards addressing the problem of insecurity in our country.”

Clouds linger on state police: Galadima, Afenifere, MBF, Ohanaeze differ
Meanwhile, former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Authority (NIMASA), Buba Galadima, has strongly opposed the creation of state police in Nigeria, warning that the initiative, if institutionalised, could spell doom for the country’s democracy.

Galadima, who spoke on a recent television programme, cautioned that while state police may appear convenient, making it a constitutional matter would render it permanent and difficult to reverse. “It may be convenient for us now, but we will come to cry when it becomes a constitutional matter. It will destroy democracy,” he said.

He vowed to personally stage a one-man protest at the National Assembly should lawmakers attempt to amend the constitution to accommodate state policing. According to him, governors could weaponise such forces against political opponents, thereby dismantling democratic opposition. “If they have the instrument of state police…” he warned.

But countering this position, the Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, reiterated its long-standing campaign for state police, insisting that decentralised policing remains key to addressing the country’s worsening insecurity and advancing true federalism.

Spokesman of the group, Jare Ajayi, noted that Nigeria’s unitary police structure contradicts its federal character, where states are supposed to function as semi-autonomous entities. He explained that state police would allow states to take ownership of internal security and respond more effectively to local dynamics.

According to him, officers recruited, trained, and managed within states would better understand local languages, cultures, terrain, and peculiarities than centrally deployed federal police. This, he stressed, would translate into quicker crime responses and improved community trust.

Afenifere also cited the overstretched and underfunded Nigeria Police Force, which it described as slow and ineffective in addressing banditry, herder–farmer clashes, kidnapping, and terrorism. “The truth is that the current federal police is overstretched, underfunded and bureaucratically slow. Decentralising policing is therefore seen as a practical solution to Nigeria’s deteriorating security situation,” Ajayi said.

He added that if governors were given control over policing, citizens would at least know whom to hold responsible for security failures. He insisted that those opposed to the idea should allow it to be tested, rather than dismissing it outright.

Similarly, the Middle Belt Forum (MBF) has thrown its weight behind the move, dismissing fears that governors might abuse the initiative. President of the Forum, Bitrus Pogu, commended President Bola Tinubu and state governors for initiating discussions on state police and urged both the National and State Assemblies to support the plan.

He maintained that the development could restore dignity to the military, which is overstretched performing police duties, while helping to curb insecurity such as banditry and kidnapping. According to him, only state police—not regional outfits—can effectively tackle the country’s security challenges. He therefore called for an urgent constitutional amendment to make the initiative operational.

Pogu also lamented mass killings in Plateau and Benue states, stressing that such tragedies make the demand for state police more urgent.

On his part, Director-General of the DAWN Commission, Seye Oyeleye, dismissed fears that governors would deploy state police as instruments of intimidation, as is often witnessed in local government administration. He argued that persistent insecurity across the country shows that the current centralised policing system is no longer effective.

He said adequate constitutional safeguards could be built into the framework to prevent abuse, while citing the Amotekun security outfit in the Southwest as proof that locally managed policing structures can help reduce insecurity. Oyeleye explained that state police would focus more on intelligence gathering and prevention rather than reaction.

Also lending support, a member of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Goddy Uwazurike, described the creation of state police as a strategic reform necessary to confront Nigeria’s worsening security challenges. He called it a “long-awaited answer to our prayers.”