Southern Governors Rally Behind State Police, Declare It ‘Non-Negotiable’ for Curbing Worsening Insecurity

|By Chinwendu Nwani

Southern governors have renewed their demand for the creation of state police, insisting that decentralizing security remains the most effective way to tackle Nigeria’s escalating insecurity and protect communities at the grassroots.

The call dominated discussions at the Southern Governors Forum meeting held Wednesday in Iperu Remo, Ogun State, and hosted by the Forum’s chairman, Governor Dapo Abiodun.

The meeting drew governors and representatives from Rivers, Abia, Ekiti, Ebonyi, Enugu, Anambra, Osun, Edo, Oyo, and Cross River states.

Addressing his colleagues, Abiodun declared that state police is a “non-negotiable” pillar of true federalism, arguing that mounting security threats and economic pressures have made localised policing urgent.

He said recent mass abductions in schools, worship centres, and rural communities prove that “no region is insulated from organized criminality or violent extremism,” stressing that states must assume direct responsibility for protecting citizens.

Abiodun added that a unified southern position on state police would boost intelligence gathering, fortify school security, protect farmlands and border communities, and strengthen the defence of critical infrastructure.

He also praised President Bola Tinubu for personally coordinating recent rescue operations involving abducted schoolchildren, describing the President’s approach as evidence of a “more coordinated and intelligence-driven” security strategy.

According to the Ogun governor, collaborating with traditional rulers—who remain closest to local communities—will further deepen participation, strengthen early-warning systems, and promote a shared commitment to peace and regional stability.

The Forum resolved that southern states must adopt a proactive, integrated security framework anchored on intelligence-sharing, border protection, safe-school architecture, corridor surveillance, and strong community involvement.