Southern Governors Lauds Northern Counterparts For Creation Of State Police

The 17 Southern Governors have praised their 19 Northern counterparts for unanimously supporting the creation of state police to address the nation’s ongoing security issues.

The decision of their 19 northern counterparts and traditional rulers to demand the immediate establishment of state police to address the country’s ongoing insecurity was described as a “great relief” by the 17 southern governors in a statement released on Monday by Rotimi Akeredolu, the governor of Ondo State and chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum.

Simon Lalong, the governor of Plateau State, led a group of northern governors and traditional leaders that convened in Abuja on September 12, 2022, and they issued “a resolution calling for the establishment of state police to confront security concerns in the region and the nation at large.”

Reacting in his statement on Monday, Akeredolu said, “Their decision to support the call for a constitutional amendment to reflect the current realities could not have come at a better time than now when the confidence in the capacity of the Federal Government to secure the country appears shaky.”

“All patriots must salute the courage of the 19 Northern Governors and the Northern Traditional Rulers Council for their stance at this crucial moment in the country.

“We will continue to insist on the creation of state police as the only logical and pragmatic solution to the pervasive problem of insecurity in the land. In addition to this, we shall not fail to renew the call for the adoption of policies geared towards real devolution of powers to the federating units indeed. This is the surest path to peace and progress,” the statement added.

The governors of the southern states had persistently supported state police and campaigned for decentralising the nation’s policing system.

The South-West governors had established the Amotekun organisation, and the South-East governors had also created a regional security organisation, Ebube Agu, to stop the rising number of murders and kidnappings in their states.

Governor Samuel Ortom established the Benue Guards in the North Central area. Still, no regional or state organisations have received a license from the federal government’s Inspector General of Police to use assault guns.