Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has called on the Federal Government to halt what he termed as “deceiving Nigerians” regarding the proposed creation of state police, stressing that the continued discussions on the matter amount to a needless delay.
Makinde spoke on Friday during a joint mega rally organised by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the APM in Ibadan, where he reflected on previous attempts by South-West governors to implement a decentralised policing system.
“We wanted state police. It was because we couldn’t get the state police that we established Amotekun as a stop-gap,” the governor stated.
“They should stop wasting Nigerians’ time.”
According to him, governors in the South-West had initially advocated for state police but eventually adopted the regional security outfit, Amotekun, in 2020 after the proposal failed to gain federal approval.
Makinde contended that states do not have to depend on the Federal Government or the police command structure before taking action. He pointed to the coordinated efforts of South-West governors, who worked with their respective Houses of Assembly to enact laws establishing Amotekun in participating states.
He added, however, that Lagos State opted out of the initiative, attributing the decision to opposition from President Bola Tinubu, who was a dominant political figure in the state at the time.
“The only state that didn’t create Amotekun is Lagos State, and we know it is because their boss didn’t want Amotekun,” Makinde said.
The governor further asserted that with sufficient political commitment, state policing could be introduced within a short time, emphasising that rising insecurity demands urgent decentralised solutions.
