Coalition urges Tinubu to fast-track state police through Executive Order

By Lukman Olabiyi

A coalition of civil society and self-determination groups in the South-West, under the aegis of the Yoruba Assembly, has called on President Bola Tinubu to invoke an Executive Order that would enable states to establish State Police forces within weeks to tackle rising insecurity. The demand was made at a regional summit held in Lagos with a theme: “Good Governance and the Crisis of Nationhood,” which attracted nearly 1,000 delegates from across the South-West, as well as participants from Kogi, Kwara, Delta and Edo states.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting and signed by its leader, Wale Osun, the coalition expressed concern over the worsening security situation in the country, warning that delays in establishing state police could further embolden insurgency and terrorism. The group specifically faulted the proposed 60-month timeline for the implementation of state policing being pushed by the Inspector-General of Police, Tunde Disu, describing it as unrealistic and disconnected from the urgency of the situation.

According to the coalition, Nigeria’s current security challenges require immediate and decisive action, not prolonged bureaucratic processes.

“We call for immediate implementation of state police. The 60- month proposal is an illusion. It undermines the urgency and fails to appreciate the perilous security situation in Nigeria,” the communiqué stated. The group urged the president to issue an Executive Order that would as an interim measure, empower states to take control of security operations, including the deployment of personnel such as the Mobile Police to their states of origin.

They argued that decentralised policing would allow for more effective intelligence gathering and quicker response to threats, given the familiarity of local operatives with their communities.

Beyond security, the coalition stressed that state policing is a public policy matter requiring broad stakeholder engagement, including state governments, civil society, traditional rulers and the academic community.