Northern Leaders Concede To State Police

Calls for state police have gained more momentum as state governors and leaders from the Northern part of the country have thrown their weight behind it.

In the past, northern leaders were opposed to states having their own police forces preferring the current situation, where the federal government controls the police force.

The leaders from all the 19 Northern states said on Tuesday in a statement that they took the decision after reviewing the security situation in the country.

They made the call after reviewing the security situation in the North during their meeting which was held in Abuja.

According to a statement issued in Jos by the Director of Press and Public Affairs to the Governor of Plateau State, and Chairman, Northern Governors Forum, the northern leaders said state police is the solution to the insecurity in the country.

The statement said, “The Northern Governors Forum on Monday, September 12, 2022, met with the Northern Traditional Rulers Council in Abuja and came out with a resolution calling for the establishment of state police to tackle security challenges in the region and the nation at large.

“Reading the communique after the meeting at the Transcorp Hilton Abuja, the Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, said the meeting reviewed the security situation in the North and other matters relating to its development and resolved to support the amendment of the 1999 Constitution to accommodate the establishment of state police. According to him, this will effectively and efficiently address the security challenges of the region.”

Meanwhile, close watchers of Nigeria’s politics considered the action a good way forward, noting that the country can now move ahead to amend the necessary parts of the Constitution to pave the way for state governments to own their police forces.