Governors elected on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have renewed the call for state policing amid rising insecurity in the nation.
Speaking during their visit to the Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, at the Rayfield Government House in Jos, the governors announced a donation of N100m to the victims of the attacks in the state.
The PDP governors, however, emphasized that the decentralization of the current police system was necessary to enable the creation of state police across Nigeria for the country to address its wanton security challenges.
The PDP governors that were in attendance were Osun State governor, Ademola Adeleke, Edo Governor, Godwin Obaseki, Adamawa governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, Enugu Governor, Peter Mbah, and OStateate governor, Seyi Makinde.
Speaking after the visit, the chairman of the PDP Governor’s forum and Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Muhammed, who cleared that Nigeria’s security agencies were doing their best, lamented that the ratio of citizens to police was very low.
Muhammad claimed that the lack of state police was the reason why various states were putting together vigilante groups.
He also mentioned that northern governors had started to imitate their South-West counterparts, who had established Amotekun.
Muhammad said, “We are just being very honest with ourselves. We are not just indicting unreasonably the Nigeria police or the security agencies as they are doing their best, but certainly the ratio of the citizens to the number of policemen is too low and the state governors know the peculiarities of their states, local governments, towns and villages.
“Nigerians want to sleep with their eyes closed and go about their normal duties peacefully, that is why we’re calling on the Federal Government to up its game by considering the establishment of state police in the country.
“There is no dissent between the governors and the national level but we need to get some decentralization of the security apparatus so that we can enhance good governance by having good state police.
“We have seen what happened in Zamfara, Katsina, and other places. This is because Nigerians want to sleep with their two eyes closed and the PDP, as the party, has always ensured good governance.
