The governors representing the 19 Northern states, under the Northern States Governors’ Forum, have thrown their weight behind the formation of state police.
This position was detailed in a communique released following their joint meeting on Saturday, which took place at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House in Kaduna.
The forum emphasized the importance of decentralized security operations as a solution to the region’s persistent insecurity.
In the communique, the governors urged the National Assembly to hasten the passage of the required legislation for implementing the state police system.
“We reiterated our support for the creation of the State Police and called on the National Assembly to expedite action on the enactment of the legal framework for its take-off,” stated Governor Muhammadu Yahaya, who is also the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum and Governor of Gombe State.
The region continues to face serious threats such as terrorism, kidnapping, and banditry. The governors stressed the importance of non-partisan collaboration and mutual assessment in tackling these threats.
“After exhaustive deliberations on matters of regional interest, particularly security, the Forum released the following communique,” Yahaya noted.
The communique emphasized unity in addressing regional security issues.
The forum agreed to: “Support the creation of state police and expedite action on the legal framework
Set up inter-state platforms to coordinate surveillance on joint borders
Increase support for federal security forces; Strengthen local initiatives to combat security challenges.”
The governors also applauded President Bola Tinubu for maintaining his dedication to resolving security and infrastructure issues in Northern Nigeria.
“The Forum commends Mr. President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for his sustained commitment to addressing the security challenges and infrastructural deficits in Northern Nigeria,” the communique read.
What you should know
This unified stance by Northern governors marks a significant step toward institutionalizing state police, reflecting regional consensus on addressing rising insecurity through legislative and operational reforms.
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