“I have to create a State Police” — Tinubu restates commitment amid rising insecurity

Barely 17 months after first hinting at decentralising Nigeria’s police structure, President Bola Tinubu has again declared his resolve to establish state police, fuelling renewed pressure from sociopolitical groups and civil society organisations for urgent implementation.

Speaking during a meeting with prominent citizens of Katsina State recently, Tinubu said, “I am reviewing all the aspects of security; I have to create a state police,” adding that the Federal Government will hasten power devolution and strengthen newly deployed forest guards.

The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, welcomed the statement. Its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, told journalists in Ibadan that Tinubu must clear bottlenecks delaying the reform before the end of 2025. “Going by the posture of Mr President, one had thought that the scheme would have taken off before now,” Ajayi said.

Ajayi recalled that Tinubu has never hidden his desire for state policing, noting that even the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, confirmed in February 2024 that the government and governors were considering the plan. “We have a feeling that for Tinubu to again openly describe state police as inevitable now means that the Federal Government is ready to have it take off,” he added.

Talks on the proposal began in February 2024 after nationwide kidnappings, killings and economic hardship triggered emergency deliberations between Tinubu and the 36 state governors. Each state was mandated to submit detailed reports on its position, but full deliberations by the National Economic Council (NEC) have been repeatedly postponed.

Bayelsa Governor, Duoye Diri, told State House correspondents in April 2025 that “lack of enough time” forced NEC to defer talks yet again. By August, NEC directed four states and the FCT to file their reports by September 9, with a final decision expected in January 2026.

Despite the delays, Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, insisted there was broad consensus. “Most of us agreed that the establishment of state police is the way forward. We have a lot of ungoverned space in Nigeria, and also we have a lot of deficit in terms of the number of boots on the ground,” he said.

The renewed push comes amid worsening violence. On August 19, armed men stormed a mosque in Malumfashi LGA, Katsina State, killing at least 50 worshippers during dawn prayers. In Zamfara, banditry has hampered cholera response, leaving eight dead and over 200 infected, while military airstrikes in the northwest recently freed 76 kidnapped victims.