Governors from Nigeria’s southern states convened in a high-stakes strategic meeting Wednesday, issuing a resounding call for the establishment of state police as an “non-negotiable” pillar of true federalism and grassroots security, amid a surge in kidnappings and violent extremism plaguing the region.
Hosted by Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun at Iperu Remo, the Southern Governors’ Forum gathering drew key figures including Rivers State’s Siminalayi Fubara, Abia State’s Alex Otti, Ekiti’s Biodun Oyebanji, Ebonyi’s Francis Nwifuru, Enugu’s Peter Mbah, Anambra’s Charles Soludo, and deputies from Osun, Edo, Oyo, and Cross River states.
The session, shrouded in urgency, zeroed in on decentralizing Nigeria’s centralized policing model to better tackle localized threats, from school abductions to rural banditry.
In his opening address, Abiodun painted a stark picture of the nation’s security landscape, warning that “recent mass abductions in schools, religious centres and rural communities across the country have shown that no region is immune to organised criminality or violent extremism.” He lauded President Bola Tinubu’s “exceptional leadership” in orchestrating swift rescues of kidnapped students but stressed the need for deeper reforms, declaring, “The creation of state police remains a non-negotiable component of our collective demand for true federalism and effective grassroots security.”
Discussions delved into forging an integrated security blueprint, emphasizing intelligence-sharing, early-warning systems, and safeguards for schools, farmlands, borders, and critical infrastructure.
The governors spotlighted the pivotal role of traditional rulers as “links to the grassroots,” urging closer ties between local communities, security forces, and hereditary leaders to foster proactive defenses.
By meeting’s end, the forum forged a unified resolution: State police must be prioritized to create a “policing system closer to the people, more responsive to local realities, and better equipped to address the rapidly evolving threats we face.” They pledged to champion this agenda nationally, while committing to collaborative frameworks that weave in community vigilance and corridor surveillance for a “peaceful and prosperous southern region.”
The gathering comes as Nigeria grapples with escalating insecurity, with southern states reporting a spike in incidents that have strained federal resources.
Analysts view the governors’ synchronized push as a potential game-changer in constitutional debates, though opposition from northern counterparts on decentralization remains a hurdle.
No timeline was set for follow-up actions, but sources indicate the forum plans to lobby the National Assembly imminently.
𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗔𝘀 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽!
