Tinubu Govt Blames Govs For Delay In State Police As Only 16 Governors Submit Reports To FG

Only sixteen state governors have submitted reports to the National Economic Council (NEC) backing the creation of state police and recommending changes to the constitution to accommodate it.

Naija News understands that the report from the sixteen state governors was received at the 140th NEC meeting presided over by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, on Thursday.

This was made known in a statement titled, ‘NEC endorses take-off of $617M i-DICE programme across states,’ by the Special Adviser to the Vice President on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha.

Nkwocha, however, noted that the Federal Government is still awaiting reports from 20 states, expressing confidence that others would support state policing.

He said: “Secretary to NEC (Mr Nebeolisa Anako) made a presentation on submissions by states on the state policing initiative. Reports have been received by 16 states on the establishment of State police. 20 states have yet to send in report. All states across the country expressed their support for the establishment of state police for the following reasons.

“States made presentations in support of the creation of state police. States recommended changes in the constitution and the current policing structure to enable the operationalisation of the initiative.”

While he did not give details on the specific state, the VP’s aide said the total number would be presented at the next NEC meeting even as “the compilation is still ongoing.”

Recall that on February 16, 2024, the Federal and state governments resolved to develop modalities to create state police to tackle the country’s security crisis.

Meanwhile, a presidency official told The PUNCH that the success of both state police and forest guards to secure the nation’s forest will ultimately be determined by state governors.

The source, who did not want to be named, said, “The President told the state governors to discuss it further at the state level. A committee was set up for that. We have not heard from the committee yet. Don’t also forget that simultaneously, the national assembly is considering inserting state policing in the constitution. So, there is a consensus around state policing.

“As for the forest guards, work is going on with it. There are existing forest guards in several states, but they are under the states’ ministries of agriculture. The goal now is to strengthen their capacity by arming them properly and recruiting more people.

“Still, it all falls in the hands of states to strengthen the forest guards. That is where we are now.”

Another Presidency official said the opening of the Nigeria-Niger border was part of efforts to stall the proliferation of the small arms and light weapons non-state actors use for their enterprise.

“What I know is this: some people have linked our security problems to the situation in Libya. The Libya conflict has led to the flow of arms to Nigeria. We share a long border with Niger. And many arms are flowing into the country.

“Our borders with our Sahelian neighbours are largely ungoverned. So, there are many arms in the hands of this bandit.

“We had to make peace with Niger because of this. It was an attempt to appease Niger. We share the same border. If we are not at peace with them, they may ignore the arms flowing in. Even the food shortage we are talking about, many goods come from Niger to Nigeria. We exacerbated things when we shut the border,” the official said.