Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has criticised what he described as the Federal Government’s delay in implementing state police, insisting that Nigeria’s worsening security challenges require urgent decentralisation of policing powers.
Speaking during the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) primary elections in Ibadan on Thursday, Makinde said state governments should be empowered to establish and manage their own police structures through their respective Houses of Assembly.
“They should stop wasting Nigerians’ time. If they truly want state police, they should not ask the Inspector-General of Police to create it for us,” Makinde said.
“Our State Assemblies should be given the authority and support to establish state police. Within the shortest possible time, state police will become a reality,” he added.
The governor renewed his call following the recent abduction of teachers and students from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Makinde described the incident as heartbreaking, noting that security has remained one of the major pillars of his administration since he assumed office.
“This is a very tough period for me as a person and also for our state. But people know that security has always been one of the major pillars of this administration,” he said.
The governor recalled that Oyo State established the Amotekun Corps after efforts to secure state police failed at the national level.
“Before this administration came on board, there was nothing like Amotekun in Oyo. We wanted state police, but because we did not get it, we created Amotekun as a stop-gap,” he stated.
Makinde argued that the latest security challenges further prove the need for states to have greater control over security operations within their territories.
He also assured residents that his administration’s development agenda would continue beyond his tenure, promising that future leadership would build on the achievements already recorded.
“You have seen Omituntun 1.0 and Omituntun 2.0. Omituntun 3.0 will even be sweeter and better for the people,” he said.
