President Bola Tinubu has stated that the establishment of state police is an “unavoidable” step in Nigeria’s efforts to combat insecurity. The President made the declaration on Tuesday while hosting a delegation of prominent citizens from Katsina State at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The state has recently been grappling with a rise in banditry.
During the meeting, President Tinubu directed security agencies to immediately reassess their strategies in Katsina. He announced that his administration would deploy more advanced military hardware, including drones and surveillance technology, and enhance the training of newly recruited forest guards.
“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,” President Tinubu stated. He further revealed that he has instructed security chiefs to provide him with daily briefings on operations in Katsina.
On the issue of state policing, Tinubu was unequivocal. “I am reviewing all the aspects of security; I have to create state police. We are looking at that holistically,” he said, adding that his government would “defeat insecurity.”
The President’s statement follows a February 2024 announcement that the Federal Government had formed a committee to design a framework for state policing. However, as of March, Vice-President Kashim Shettima disclosed that 20 states had yet to submit their reports on the initiative.
In his remarks, President Tinubu also paid tribute to the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, who passed away in January. “The time we lost our brother, President Buhari, is a loss for all of us,” he said. “He didn’t hand over a defeated country, a battered political structure, but a legacy of success, and that is the most important thing.”
Governor Dikko Radda, who led the Katsina delegation, expressed his gratitude for the President’s consistent support. Former Governor Aminu Masari and Senator Ibrahim Ida, the Wazirin of Katsina, also commended President Tinubu for his honor of Buhari and his commitment to infrastructure projects in the state. However, Ida appealed for the upgrade of the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport and heightened security operations in southern Katsina.
