The governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, expressed his belief that the establishment of state police is now necessary to address the security challenges faced by different parts of the country.
He emphasized that the refusal of the Federal Government to approve the demand of South-West Governors to establish state police a few years ago led to the creation of the Western Nigeria Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun.
Makinde urged the Federal Government to reconsider this matter during a meeting with the Conference of Speakers of State Legislators, South-West Chapter. He stressed the importance of collaboration and cooperation between the executive and legislative arms of government to deliver development and dividends of democracy to the people.
Makinde also addressed concerns about the ability of states to maintain state police, citing the example of Oyo State where the payment of salaries and pensions has never been an issue despite economic challenges.
The governor, Makinde, highlighted the example of Oyo State to emphasize that despite the economic challenges faced by the country, the payment of salaries and pensions has never been a problem.
He further explained that before the establishment of Amotekun, he and other governors had approached the Federal Government to request the creation of state police for their respective states, but their request was not approved during President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure.
Makinde expressed his disagreement with the notion that states are incapable of maintaining their own police force, stating that he has never seen the Federal Government fully support a state’s police needs.
He argued that if the responsibility of maintaining the police is divided and given to the states, they should have access to resources from the federation account to fulfill this responsibility. Makinde concluded by stating that since they were unable to establish state police, they settled for Amotekun, a regional security outfit.
He urged lawmakers to support the push for state police and play a role in making it a reality.
