Governors of the 19 Northern states under the aegis of the Northern States Governors’ Forum have endorsed the establishment of state police.
This was part of the resolutions outlined in a communique issued at the end of their joint meeting held on Saturday at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House in Kaduna on Saturday.
The forum resolved to support the creation of state police, citing the need for decentralised security management to effectively address security challenges.
According to the communique, the governors called on the National Assembly to expedite action on the enactment of the legal framework for the establishment of state police.
“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,” said Governor Muhammadu Yahaya, Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum and Governor of Gombe State.
The North has been plagued by various security challenges, including banditry, kidnapping, and terrorism. The governors acknowledged the critical role of non-partisan cooperation, collaboration, and peer review in effectively addressing these challenges.
“After exhaustive deliberations on matters of regional interest, particularly security, the Forum released the following communique,” Yahaya said.
The communique highlighted the need for collective action to address the security challenges facing the region.
The forum resolved 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 commended President Bola Tinubu for his sustained commitment to addressing security challenges and infrastructural deficits 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.
