President Bola Tinubu has announced that establishing state police forces has become inevitable as Nigeria intensifies its battle against nationwide insecurity, particularly in banditry-affected regions.
The President made this declaration on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, while meeting with a high-level delegation of Katsina State indigenes led by Governor Dikko Radda, whose state has suffered severe banditry attacks.
“I am reviewing all the aspects of security; I have to create state police. We are looking at that holistically,” Tinubu stated, signaling a major shift in Nigeria’s centralized policing system.
The President acknowledged inherited security weaknesses while expressing confidence that current challenges are surmountable. “The security challenges that we are facing are surmountable. Yes, we have porous borders. We inherited weaknesses that could have been addressed earlier. It is a challenge that we must fix, and we are facing it,” he said.
As part of immediate security enhancements, Tinubu announced the deployment of advanced military equipment including drones and surveillance technology, alongside improved training programs for newly recruited forest guards. He revealed that security chiefs now brief him daily on operations in Katsina State.
“I have today directed all the security agencies to energise further and look at the strategies. We have approved the additional acquisition of drones,” the President disclosed.
The state police initiative builds on a February 2024 committee established to design the framework for decentralized policing. However, the program has faced implementation challenges, with Vice-President Kashim Shettima revealing in March that 20 states had yet to submit required reports.
Tinubu emphasized his administration’s commitment to comprehensive security coverage. “We must protect our children, our people, our livelihood, our places of worship, and our recreational spaces. They can’t intimidate us,” he declared.
During the meeting, the President paid tribute to former President Muhammadu Buhari, who passed away in January, praising his legacy and peaceful transition of power.
“The time we lost our brother, President Buhari, is a loss for all of us. It is the will of God Almighty, but he has left in a good way. He didn’t hand over a defeated country, a battered political structure, but a legacy of success,” Tinubu said.
Governor Radda expressed appreciation for the President’s consistent support, stating that none of his requests to the federal government had been rejected. Former Governor Aminu Masari and Ibrahim Ida, the Wazirin of Katsina, also commended Tinubu’s infrastructure investments and tribute to Buhari.
The delegation appealed for priority attention to upgrading the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport and intensifying security operations in southern Katsina, where banditry remains particularly challenging.
The announcement represents a significant policy shift that could reshape Nigeria’s security architecture, as states prepare to assume greater responsibility for maintaining law and order within their territories.
