President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on the National Assembly to amend existing laws to allow states to establish their own police forces, in a move aimed at tackling escalating insecurity across Nigeria.
The appeal came on Wednesday as the President declared a nationwide security emergency.
“I call on the National Assembly to begin reviewing our laws to allow states that require state police to establish them,” Tinubu said in a statement.
He added that his administration would support any state governments that have set up security outfits to protect their citizens from terrorists seeking to disrupt national peace.
The President also stressed the importance of security in schools and religious institutions, particularly in remote or high-risk areas. “States should rethink establishing boarding schools in remote areas without adequate security. Mosques and churches should constantly seek police and other security protection when they gather for prayers, especially in vulnerable areas,” he advised.
Tinubu’s call for state police is part of a broader security strategy, which includes recruiting 20,000 additional police officers, deploying trained forest guards, and reinforcing the Armed Forces in troubled regions.
He approved the use of National Youth Service Corps camps as temporary training facilities and authorised the police to expand their ranks to a total of 50,000 officers.
“My fellow Nigerians, this is a national emergency, and we are responding by deploying more boots on the ground, especially in security-challenged areas.
The times require all hands on deck. As Nigerians, we should all get involved in securing our nation,” he said.
The President also directed the Department of State Services to deploy trained forest guards to flush out bandits and terrorists hiding in forests and to recruit more personnel for forest operations.
Officers previously withdrawn from VIP duties are expected to undergo crash training before being redeployed to critical areas.
