Makinde To FG: Stop Deceiving Nigerians On State Police

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has called on the Federal Government to stop what he described as prolonged delays and “deception” surrounding the proposed establishment of state police in Nigeria. He made the remarks on Friday during a joint political rally involving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the APM in Ibadan, where he revisited long-standing debates on decentralised policing.

According to the governor, discussions on state police have dragged on for years without concrete implementation, despite rising security concerns across the country. He argued that the continued delay amounts to wasting national time and opportunities to strengthen local security structures. Seyi Makinde stressed that Nigeria’s security challenges require a more decentralised approach that allows states to take direct responsibility for policing within their jurisdictions.

Makinde recalled that South-West governors had earlier pushed for the creation of state police but later settled for a regional security initiative known as Amotekun Corps after the proposal failed to receive federal approval. He explained that the initiative was designed as a stop-gap measure to address increasing insecurity in the region.

“We wanted state police. It was because we couldn’t get the state police that we established Amotekun as a stop-gap,” he said, adding that states demonstrated political will by passing enabling laws through their Houses of Assembly to operationalise the security network.

The governor further noted that all South-West states participated in the creation of Amotekun Corps except Lagos State, which he claimed did not join the initiative due to political considerations at the time. He stated that stronger cooperation among states could have accelerated security reforms in the region.

Seyi Makinde maintained that if there is genuine political will, state policing structures can be implemented within a short period. He argued that decentralised policing remains one of the most effective solutions to Nigeria’s worsening insecurity challenges, particularly in rural and semi-urban communities.

The governor’s comments have continued to reignite national debate on restructuring Nigeria’s policing system, with supporters arguing that state police would improve responsiveness, while critics warn of potential political misuse by state authorities.