Insecurity: Akeredolu Renews Call For State Police

The Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has renewed his call for the creation of State Police in the country, adding that this is the time for its creation.

The Ondo Governor renewed the call on Tuesday evening while featuring on Channels Television Programme, ‘Politics Today.’

Considering the myriad of security challenges confronting the country from banditry to terrorism, kidnapping for ransom to cultism, militancy and agitation to secede among several others, Akeredolu made the renew call for the creation of State Police.

The Governor believes that the setting up of the policy structure at regional levels would complement the efforts of the Nigeria Police Force.

Governor Akeredolu who is a senior advocate of Nigeria and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), however, admitted that creation of state police is not something that can come to reality immediately.

He added, “There must be a swift response to all this level of insecurity. For now, since there is nothing else to do, those of us who believe that there should be multi-level policing and the time has come for us to have state police, it is not something you can force down.

READ ALSO: Akeredolu Vows to Bring Obaseki Back to APC

“It is something that will have to go through the National Assembly. It takes some time but that is the goal. But before then, I believe that we can have meetings, set up committees on insecurity. Let it be addressed wholesomely without any bias.”

Nigeria has been experiencing a series of security threats ranging from terrorism, banditry, militancy, cultism among others in many parts of the country.

Terrorism in the country has been more than a decade which has killed 36,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands in the northeast Nigeria.

Also, Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) split from the Boko Haram terrorist group in 2016 and has since become a dominant threat in Nigeria, attacking troops and bases while killing and kidnapping passengers at many checkpoints.

On March 1, the terrorist group burnt down a United Nations humanitarian compound in the town of Dikwa after dislodging troops, six civilians were killed in the attack.

The juhadist violence has spread to neighbouring Chat Cameroon and Niger, prompting a regional joint military operation to fight the insurgents.