By BANNERNEWS Reporter, Akure
The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately commence the implementation of State Police, insisting that Nigeria cannot afford to wait five years while insecurity continues to worsen across the country.
The group said the reported 60-month gestation period proposed for the take-off of State Police is unacceptable in the face of rising cases of terrorism, kidnapping and violent crime.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in Akure on Thursday, Afenifere Secretary-General, Sola Ebiseni, said the nation’s security challenges require urgent action rather than prolonged administrative processes.
He argued that before Nigeria’s amalgamation, various ethnic nationalities maintained local security structures that effectively protected their communities and territories from external threats.
According to him, the country’s federal arrangement was significantly altered during military rule, particularly with the introduction of a centralised policing system that places security operations under the control of the President through the Inspector-General of Police.
Ebiseni said the arrangement has weakened state governments and left them with limited capacity to protect lives and property or effectively enforce laws enacted by their legislatures.
He noted that Nigeria is increasingly confronted by terrorism and other transnational security threats that disregard state boundaries and national sovereignty, making decentralised policing more imperative than ever.
The Afenifere chieftain maintained that there is now broad national consensus on the need for State Police and warned that further delays could aggravate the country’s security crisis.
“Contrary to the published content of the IGP memo, State Police cannot wait for a 60-month gestation period. Its structure and recruitment should not be determined by the Federal Police, nor should it be constituted by as much as 60 per cent of federal police officers from the state concerned,” he said.
Ebiseni stressed that State Police formations must be equipped with adequate firepower comparable to that of the Federal Police and the criminal elements they would be required to confront.
He identified the Southwest Security Network, Amotekun, as a ready foundation upon which State Police could be built in the region.
“In Yorubaland, the Amotekun Regional Security Network only requires immediate upgrading into State Police with appropriate firepower and continuous training. The personnel are physically and mentally prepared for the task ahead,” he stated.
He warned that prolonged delays in establishing State Police could create a dangerous security vacuum, forcing communities to resort to self-help and potentially fuelling ethnic tensions and conflicts.
Ebiseni also urged political leaders to avoid politicising the country’s security challenges, describing insecurity as a national emergency that requires collective action, similar to the united response mounted against the COVID-19 pandemic.
While commending the military and other security agencies for their efforts against insurgency and terrorism, he cautioned security personnel against any actions that could undermine Nigeria’s democratic system of government.
