In the face of the raging insecurity in Nigeria, the federal government in collaboration with the sub-regional governments state (States government) are considering the floating state police to tackle the menace.
Krestnews reports that this was some of the fall-outs of deliberations between President Bola Tinubu and state governors at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday.
Briefing journalists after the meeting, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, explained that the process is still in its infancy and would only take shape after more deliberations between stakeholders.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
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 a solution to the myriad of increasing security challenges confronting the country.
Already, states in the South-West geopolitical zone have formed the Amotekun while their counterparts in the South-East also created the state-owned security outfit Ebube Agu. The Benue livestock Guards has also been operational in Benue State in the North Central while states like Katsina, Zamfara, and other bandit-prone sub-nationals have also come up with similar state-established outfits.
However, these outfits have not been as effective as anticipated as they don’t have the backing of the Federal Government or the Presidency while states continue to demand that Amotekun, Ebube Agu and others be granted license to bear assault rifles like AK-47 to confront lethal gun-toting marauders.