South-west governors Tuesday renewed the call for the creation of state police as one of the major steps to stem the growing tide of insecurity in the region.
Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Dapo Abiodun, Seyi Makinde, Gboyega Oyetola, Rotimi Akeredolu, and Kayode Fayemi of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti states respectively stated this at the South-west Stakeholder Security Summit organised by the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission held at Theophilus Ogunlesi Hall, Opposite UCH in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.
The governors said they were prepared to end the “unholy invasion of the South-west geo-political zone by armed bandits, which has caused security breach and created unnecessary tension in the relatively peaceful zone.
They unanimously called for the creation of state police so as to confront the challenge head-on, listing the benefits inherent in having it.
In his speech, Sanwo-Olu advocated that state police should be considered to complement the effort of the Nigeria Police Force in all states of the federation.
According to him, “State Police is the way to go. This would give the Chief Security Officers in each of the states the opportunity to direct their affairs and make them accountable instead of waiting for federal directives before major actions could be taken on incidents of banditry, cultism and other heinous crimes.
“Controlling one’s police at the state level would help us achieve unhindered and accelerated response to any criminal activities recorded within our communities.
“The importance of security in human existence cannot be underestimated, which means, security is paramount to the existence of all human beings and no meaningful development could be recorded in the absence of security.”
Sanwo-Olu urged all South-west governors and other stakeholders to put all machinery in motion to find a permanent solution to the security lapses, adding that the region should speak with one voice and remove politics so as to put a permanent stop to the incessant incursions on our land.
The governor said no developmental strides could be achieved in the absence of security, just as he commended the efforts of the DAWN Commission for the laudable programme.
“The issue discussed here today coincides with the deliberations of the governors during a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari and at the Governors Forum held last week in Abuja,” Sanwo said.
In his remarks, Abiodun expressed “concerns about the porous nature of Ogun State borders,” noting that “a lot needs to be done to curb the illegal influx of aliens into our region.”
The governor advocated that “there was need to device a means of identifying the aliens immediately they come through the borders.”
He affirmed his administration’s support for the establishment of state police while commending the various security agencies and community leaders for the roles they played at reducing the recent ugly trend of insecurity.
Abiodun told the audience that Ogun state being a Gateway State that shares local and international borders with states and a neighbouring country “is inevitably committed to joining a cause for enhanced security architecture of the zone.”
He charged the summit to “lay down a clear Security Roadmap for the Region with measurable milestones, and periodic review to track performance.”
Earlier, Akeredolu, who is also the Chairman of the South-west Governors’ Forum, while declaring open the summit, reiterated that protection of lives of residents and people of region is paramount to all the governors, hence their support for the creation of DAWN Commission.
He said the meeting was at the behest of the Commission in order to creating engagement and discourse towards finding a lasting solution to the security challenges in the South-west.
The meeting was attended by the police chiefs from the region, traditional rulers, among others.
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