State Police is the Answer to Insecurity – Tinubu

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reaffirmed his commitment to tackling Nigeria’s worsening security crisis, saying the establishment of state police is no longer optional but a necessary step for the country.

The president made the declaration on Tuesday when he hosted a delegation of political leaders and traditional figures from Katsina State, led by Governor Dikko Radda, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Tinubu acknowledged the scale of insecurity across the country, particularly the surge in bandit attacks in Katsina, but insisted that Nigeria’s challenges are not beyond solution. “The security challenges that we are facing are surmountable,” he said. 

“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.”

The president announced that security agencies have been directed to overhaul their operations in Katsina, with fresh deployments of advanced military equipment and surveillance technology, including drones. 

He also revealed plans to strengthen the forest guards recently introduced in the state as part of broader security reforms.

According to Tinubu, his administration will no longer treat the creation of state police as a matter of debate but as a concrete step in the fight against criminality. “I am reviewing all the aspects of security; I have to create state police. 

We are looking at that holistically,” he said, adding that the federal government would demand daily feedback from security operatives on their activities in vulnerable areas.

Beyond the policy announcement, Tinubu reassured Nigerians that insecurity would not be allowed to define the country’s future. 

“We will defeat insecurity. We must protect our children, our people, our livelihood, our places of worship, and our recreational spaces. They can’t intimidate us,” he declared.

The idea of decentralising policing has been on the federal government’s table for over a year. In February 2024, a presidential committee was inaugurated to explore modalities for state police. Information Minister Mohammed Idris later disclosed that both the president and state governors had reached a broad consensus on the concept, though meetings were still ongoing to decide on practical implementation. 

Vice-President Kashim Shettima also revealed in March that while all states expressed support for the idea, 20 of them had yet to submit their official reports on how it could be applied.

During the meeting, Tinubu also paid tribute to his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, describing him as a leader who handed over a stable country and a legacy of “success.” He assured the visiting delegation that Buhari’s contributions to national development would be preserved and honoured.

Governor Radda, in his remarks, thanked the president for what he described as consistent support for Katsina. 

“Mr President, I would like to thank you very much, and I want to say before our elders that there was never a time I came to the President with a request that he rejected,” the governor said, praising Tinubu for treating Katsina as “a second home.”

Other members of the delegation, including former governor Aminu Masari and Ibrahim Ida, the Wazirin Katsina, commended the president for his commitment to infrastructure projects in the state.

Ida also appealed for an upgrade of the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport and urged the federal government to pay closer attention to the security situation in southern Katsina.