THE Federal Government and state governors have agreed on creating state police.
This was part of the outcome of a meeting between President Bola Tinubu and state governors at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday, February 15.
Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris disclosed this to reporters after the meeting.
He said the process was still in its early stages and would take shape after further discussions.
“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 agreed 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,” Idris stated.
The ICIR reports that there have been calls for state police in response to the country’s growing security concerns.
Kidnapping and banditry are two security issues Nigeria has struggled with in recent years after over a decade of fighting terrorism.
On Monday, February 13, governors elected on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform reiterated their support for state policing to address the nation’s deteriorating security. The governors lamented that Nigeria is “almost on the road to Venezuela.”
While Nigerian governors have been pushing for state police, regional groups in the country have established security outfits to complement the Federal Government-funded police and other security institutions in the country.
The South-East launched Ebube Agu, the South-West created Amotekun, and the North founded “Shege Ka Fasa”.
However, it appears that only Amotekun has fully taken shape among the outfits.
In addition to the regional outfits, some states, including Benue, Zamfara and Kano, have created vigilantes or constabulary to further protect their people.
A report by The ICIR examined cases of kidnapping, ransom payment and the cost of being kidnapped in Nigeria.
The ICIR reported that over 5,000 Nigerians were killed in President Bola Tinubu’s first seven months in office, underscoring the threat posed by the nation’s insecurity.
The killings by non-state and state actors, which have persisted since Tinubu came into power, have seen over 5,000 casualties.
Tinubu’s thrust of campaign promise to Nigerians was to tackle insecurity and revamp Nigeria’s economy.
His government has struggled to keep Nigeria safe since he assumed office on May 29, 2023.
According to data gathered by The ICIR from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), a data bureau that collects real-time data on the locations, dates, actors, fatalities, and types of all reported political violence and protest events worldwide, about 5,135 people were killed between May 29 and December 31, 2023.
This also means that an average of twenty-two people were killed daily from violent attacks during the period, given that the six months have 227 days (plus the remaining three days in May 2023) divided by 5,135, averaging 22.6.
A reporter with the ICIR
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