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The Aare-in-Council, an assembly of 48 chiefs under the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, has urged governors and Houses of Assembly across the Southwest to fast-track the establishment of state police to strengthen the region’s response to insecurity.
The council said decentralising policing would empower local security agencies and other security-relevant groups to respond more rapidly to emerging threats, prevent crimes and develop security strategies tailored to the peculiar challenges of communities across the region.
The call was contained in a statement issued yesterday in Lagos by the Atoloye Aare Ona Kakanfo, Chief Babajide Tanimowo, on behalf of the Aare-in-Council, after an emergency meeting convened to review the security situation in the Southwest.
The meeting examined security developments over the past three months, with particular attention to the Southwest, Kwara and Kogi states, as well as other parts of the country.
The council’s demand came against the backdrop of persistent concerns over kidnapping, armed robbery, banditry and other violent crimes threatening lives, property and economic activities in several parts of the country.
According to the council, the current security architecture requires greater local autonomy and empowerment if the country is to effectively confront crimes that often have distinct local characteristics.
It, therefore, called on the Southwest governors and their respective Houses of Assembly to expedite legislative and administrative processes towards the establishment of state police.
The council also urged the governors to respond positively to earlier letters from Iba Adams seeking stronger partnerships and collaboration among security stakeholders in the region.
It said such collaboration would reinforce existing security strategies, deepen community engagement and promote a coordinated approach to combating criminality.
The council specifically highlighted the Southwest Security Stakeholders Group (SSSG), led by Iba Adams and comprising 16 security-relevant groups with grassroots structures across the region.
It said the group’s grassroots presence and access to local security intelligence could complement the efforts of conventional security agencies.
“Iba Adams currently leads the Southwest Security Stakeholders Group (SSSG), consisting of 16 security-relevant groups with structures at the grassroots across the entire Southwest region.
“This group, with its native security intelligence and capacity, can be of immense help to the state security agencies in combating crimes decisively,” the statement said.
The council argued that local intelligence available to such groups could complement the efforts of conventional security agencies, particularly in identifying emerging threats and strengthening community-based crime prevention.
It also called on communities across the Southwest to establish Community Security Networks that would work in synergy with the Amotekun Corps and the Nigeria Police Force to protect lives and property.
The council urged local government chairmen and communities to provide financial support for the networks, stressing that effective grassroots security structures could not be sustained without adequate funding.
It described community vigilance as an indispensable component of the region’s broader security architecture and called for greater institutional support for grassroots security initiatives.
Meanwhile, the Aare-in-Council commended the Nigerian security forces for what it described as their relentless and timely interventions in addressing security challenges across the country.
The council said the interventions had contributed to a notable reduction in incidents of kidnapping and banditry in parts of the Southwest.
It stressed, however, that continued cooperation among federal security agencies, state authorities, traditional institutions and community-based security groups remained essential to sustaining the gains.
The council also expressed appreciation to Iba Adams for his leadership of the regional security network, praising his patience, loyalty and commitment in managing what it described as a complex security structure.
Despite what it said were significant challenges and attempts to undermine his authority, the council commended Adams for remaining steadfast in coordinating security efforts across the region.
The Aare-in-Council urged governors, traditional rulers, security agencies, local government authorities and community organisations to close ranks and adopt a unified approach to confronting violence, banditry, kidnapping and other forms of criminality threatening the stability and development of the Southwest.
