Governor Dauda Lawal said state police will go a long way toward tackling insecurity in the country by giving governors real authority as chief security officers of their states.
A statement signed by the Governor’s Spokesman, Sulaiman Bala Idris said the Governor made these remarks as a panellist at the Arise News Town Hall Summit: Building a National Consensus for State Police & National Security, held today at the Thisday Dome in Abuja.
Governor Lawal observed that insecurity has persisted in the states because the command and control structure has not been under the chief executives of the states.
He said that when state governments are responsible for the security of lives and property within their domains, the police would be better equipped and have more personnel to tackle crime.
“We’re being called chief security officers of our respective states; however, the command and control structure is not under the governors,” he said.
“I am happy with the recent development of state police because it allows us to keep to our responsibilities and for our people also to hold us accountable as far as the security situation is concerned in our respective states,” the governor said.
The governor further said that, “I strongly believe that, by the time we have state police, it will go a long way in solving a lot of the challenges, and we can then bear our names as proper chief security officers of our respective states.”
While dismissing claims of abuse by state executives, the governor noted that almost all states of the federation have one or more security apparatuses in place, and none of these security outfits has been used to oppress opposition in the states.
He, however, urged the lawmakers to put measures in place to prevent abuse.
“I support state police. I recognise people’s fears of possible abuse, but with the right processes in place, those fears will be allayed,” he said.
The summit aimed to build consensus on state police and broader national security reforms, as concerns over insecurity continue to dominate public discourse across Nigeria.
It brought together national security leaders, governors, lawmakers, civil society organisations, policy experts, traditional rulers, and other stakeholders to deliberate on strategies to secure communities and protect lives across the country.
