BREAKING: Tinubu’s govt mulls creation of State Police after meeting with Govs, IGP, Minister, others

The Federal Government, along with the governments of the 36 states, is exploring the establishment of state police.

This comes after an emergency meeting between President Bola Tinubu and state governors at the Aso Rock Villa on Thursday.

The conference on Thursday comes in the wake of recent food price increases, economic hardship, and areas of insecurity around the country.

Following the discussion, Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation, told State House correspondents that the process is still in its early stages and will only take shape after more debates among stakeholders.

He said, “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. But if our government and the state governments agree to the necessity of having state police, this is a significant shift.

“Like I said, more work needs to be done in that direction. A lot of meetings will have to happen between the Federal Government and dissolved nationals to see the modalities of achieving this.”

The debate for the creation of state police in Nigeria primarily stems from the centralised nature of the Nigerian Police Force, which is perceived by many as 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.”

Details shortly…