Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly have endorsed the establishment of state police in Nigeria, urging all 36 State Houses of Assembly to expedite consideration and approval of the Constitution Alteration Bill on state policing in the national interest.

The lawmakers expressed support during plenary after the Majority Leader, Noheem Adams, moved a motion titled “Support for the Establishment of State Police in Nigeria” yesterday.

Moving the motion, Adams said the proposed legislation aligns with the Federal Government’s efforts to decentralise policing to tackle insecurity more effectively, strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture and improve the protection of lives and property across the country.

Supporting the motion, Speaker of the House, Dr Mudashiru Obasa, said establishing state police would significantly strengthen Nigeria’s security framework and boost efforts to combat kidnapping, terrorism, banditry and other violent crimes.

IN a related development, the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) and Northern States Traditional Rulers Council have commenced a strategic meeting in Kaduna on how to tackle challenges facing the region, prominent among which is insecurity,

In his welcome address, Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, said for many years, governors across party lines had advocated a policing architecture that was more responsive to local realities and better equipped to address contemporary security challenges.

Sani stated that the ongoing constitutional amendment process for the creation of state police represented a defining moment in Nigeria’s democratic evolution.

“History and posterity will be kind to Mr President, the National Assembly, state governors, and other critical stakeholders for supporting the creation of state police, which has the potential of frontally tackling our insecurity challenges.”

FOLLOWING the approval of the State Police Bill, the Southwest Security Stakeholders Group (SSSG) and the Oodua Unity Group (OUG) have hailed the National Assembly, describing approval as a significant legislative milestone that could enhance security management across the federation.

Rising from a joint meeting held at the palace of Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, yesterday, to address growing concerns about the security situation in the Southwest region, they hailed the decision as a positive step towards empowering states to take more direct control of their security challenges, thereby fostering more localised and effective responses.

In a statement jointly signed by the SSSG Publicity Secretary, Ireti Adewole and OUG Secretary, Kola Aare, the groups noted that while citizens await the state police to come into full operation across the country, it was also important for state security apparatus to cooperate with private security-relevant groups to totally overcome the security challenges.

The SSSG, led by Gani Adams, comprises the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Agbekoya Society, Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN), Professional Hunters Association, Odua Warriors, Vigilante Jahun, Agbekoya Peace Movement, Agbekoya Solidarity Movement, COMSAIC, Isokan Ile Oodua, Egbe Obinrin Oodua Agbaye, and Omo Oduduwa United, among others, which all have structures at the grassroots in all local government areas across the region.