South West Governors Decry Insecurity, Okay State, Council Police

Alarmed by the raging insecurity in the south-west, state governors of the region Tuesday made a strong case for the establishment of state and council police to complement the efforts of the federal police.

They also agreed to rise above party partisanship to set up joint patrol teams to ward off the criminals that have been killing and kidnapping innocent persons as well as check the activities of killer herdsmen that have made the highways unsafe for travellers.

The governors, who spoke at the “Stakeholders’ Security Summit for Southwestern States” organised by the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission in Ibadan, include Dr. Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Babajide Sanw-Olu (Lagos), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (Ondo) and Gboyega Oyetola (Osun).

Fayemi, who is the Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), urged the people to hold the governors accountable for insecurity in the region. He gave assurances of a lasting solution to the crisis.

“Insecurity has created palpable fear in the minds of the people. We hold it a duty to reconfigure our security architecture. We are set to harness the potential of security agencies to rid the region of insecurity.

“This crisis should unite us, not divide us. We need to focus on the root cause of the challenge. We should focus on what we can do. We don’t have to demonise any ethnic group. Security situation should be a serious concern to everybody.

“We need to reform our criminal justice system and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of all criminal justice institutions. We need a regional response to insecurity given the contiguity of our states. We, as your governors, should be held accountable for the insecurity. We will not sleep until the problem is tackled head-on,” the Ekiti governor said.

Fayemi emphasised the importance of a state and community policing system to complement the federal police: “We cannot have a unitary police system in a federal state. We must democratise the intelligence gathering. Our demand for state and local policing is not tantamount to the removal of the federal police. They will exist side by side with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF)”.

In his welcome address, Governor Makinde of Oyo described the problem of insecurity in the southwest as a snake on the roof of a building that cannot be ignored. “The growing tension between farmers and herdsmen is worrisome, Ife-Ibadan expressway is fast becoming kidnappers’ den,” he said.

He said the summit should provide solutions that can be applied to the security challenge in the region.

‘’We should not allow the actions of miscreants to change who we are.”

Makinde, who expressed support for state police, noted that “the advantages of community policing far outweigh the fear we have against it. There cannot be development without peace.”

Akeredolu said that as leaders, the governors must be determined to protect the people.

While charging his colleagues to be more pro-active in tackling the challenges already affecting the socio-economic activities of the region, the Ondo governor urged total compliance with all the resolutions at the summit. He also called for the setting up of a joint regional border patrol and cooperation in intelligence gathering among the six states.

“We will work together as governors. We have started working together casting aside partisan coloration. The ultimate aim is socio-economic integration. We must totally depend on each other,” Akeredolu said.

In his contribution, Sanwo-Olu, who called for collaboration to provide common solutions to the security problem, also said “community, state and neighbourhood policing is the way to go.”

According to him, “state police can exist side by side with the federal police as being done in other parts of the world. Our primary role is to provide security for our people and we shall do that with all sense of responsibility.”

To Abiodun, security issues require the efforts of all stakeholders, who he said must collaborate to make life and property safe in the region.
Noting that peaceful atmosphere is fundamental to success in business, Abiodun declared support for the establishment of state police.

Oyetola of Osun State corroborated Abiodun. “To tackle insecurity, southwest states must collaborate and join forces to wade off the criminals.”