The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has commended President Bola Tinubu for his determination to ensure the establishment of state police in Nigeria.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, the organisation said Nigeria has long been overdue for a state-controlled policing system.
“We are aware that President Bola Tinubu is committed to having state police take off as soon as possible, going by his pronouncements and the steps his government has taken on this issue,” Ajayi stated.
He noted that President Tinubu’s recent remarks in Makurdi and Abuja further underscored his determination to see the initiative implemented.
Ajayi recalled that during a Town Hall meeting in Makurdi, Benue State, last Wednesday, the President reiterated his commitment to state police. He added that the declaration echoed Tinubu’s earlier remarks made on Tuesday in Abuja at the Constitution Review Legislative Dialogue on National Security, organised by the House of Representatives and the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Afenifere expressed optimism that the establishment of state police was imminent, particularly as most state governors and Houses of Assembly have expressed support.
Tracing the history of policing in Nigeria, Ajayi pointed out that since the establishment of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) in 1960, policing has remained centralised under the control of the Federal Government. He recalled that demands for decentralisation date back several decades.
Ajayi mentioned the 2006 Presidential Committee on Police Reform led by M. D. Yusuf and the 2012 committee headed by Parry Osayande—both of which recommended decentralisation, but whose reports remained unimplemented.
He also highlighted the 2021 resolutions by the governors of the 17 Southern states, who jointly called for state police in meetings held in Asaba, Lagos, and Enugu.
More recently, state governors at a Council of State meeting reaffirmed the need for state police.
“In view of the concurrency of opinions on the need to have state police now among the national and state legislators as well as the Executive Arm of Government, it is hoped that state police will take off very soon in Nigeria,” Afenifere stated.
