Insecurity: 16 Nigerian governors endorse state police, constitution review in memos to FG

Amid rising insecurity in the country, the call for state police has continued to gather momentum as 16 state governors endorsed the creation of state police.

The National Economic Council (NEC) made this known on Thursday in a report submitted to the Council at its 140th meeting, held virtually and chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima.

The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Mr. Atiku Bagudu, who briefed State House correspondents virtually after the meeting, said out of the 36 states, 20 state governors and the FCT had yet to make their submissions.

However, he did not mention the states.

The governors who submitted their memos also called for the review of the Nigerian Constitution.

In the meantime, NEC has also received the abridged report of the ad hoc committee on crude oil theft prevention and control.

The committee identified the areas of oil leakages in the oil industry while observing cases of infractions.

Gov. Hope Uzodinma of Imo State chaired the committee, which urged political will to implement changes and reforms.

Nigeria runs a unitary, centralized police force with exclusive jurisdiction across the country. An inspector-general of police (IGP) oversees the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

The term “state police” refers to police units under the control of state governments, whose jurisdiction does not extend beyond state boundaries.

This means a transformative shift in Nigeria’s policing architecture, advocating for the decentralization of policing powers to the state level to enhance responsiveness and accountability.

Persecondnews recalls that in February, governors elected on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) met in Abuja to appraise the state of the nation.

The meeting was held at the Bauchi state governor’s lodge in the Asokoro district of the nation’s capital.

In a communiqué, the PDP governors said that in the wake of the rising insecurity in the country, there is a need to establish state police.

“We reiterate our call for state police with appropriate safeguards to avoid any abuse or overreach by any tier of government,” the communiqué reads.

The forum also asked the federal government to “urgently” embark on initiatives involving state and local governments to” bring a lasting solution to the security and economic crises.