The North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum has urged President Bola Tinubu and members of the National Assembly to reject calls for the creation of state police in the country.
The Forum, comprising APC stakeholders in the North-Central region, made this appeal in response to Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s recent call for state police.
Mutfwang, speaking at a special court session to mark the commencement of the 2025/2026 legal year in Jos, had declared that “the time for state police has come.”
He further urged the President and members of the National Assembly to support its actualisation, saying it would “help to address insecurity in Plateau and other parts of the country.”
However, the North-Central APC Forum has opposed the governor’s position.
In a statement released in Abuja on Friday by its Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, a member of the APC campaign council in the 2023 elections, the Forum warned against the dangers of introducing state police in Nigeria.
“The North-Central APC Forum has noted with alarm calls for creation of state police in Nigeria. State police will only lead to anarchy and increased impunity across the country and as a result, these calls should be rejected by all right-thinking Nigerians,” the statement read.
The Forum added that “state police will only exist to serve the interests of those in power, further subjugating minority groups who are already being oppressed in various states across the country.”
It warned that governors were already abusing federal police to target political opponents and would go further if given control over their own forces.
“As we speak, most of the governors are using machineries and instruments of the state to intimidate, oppress and harass minority groups and the opposition in their states – we are afraid of how far they will go when they now have a full-fledged police force at their beck and call.
“State police will give them the licence to do and undo. Even now the governors are able to use the present federal police against those they perceive to be their political opponents.
“The police are used to destroy the businesses and properties of those in the opposition and even other law-abiding citizens who are not in the camp of the governors. This is happening even as the governors continue to complain that they are not in charge of the security apparatus in their states.
“If they can use the federal police, over which they don’t have direct control, to deal with the opposition, what they are doing now will be child’s play compared to what they will do when they have their own police force – in the form of state police.
“We know for a fact that state police will become nothing more than a ready and willing tool for the oppression of minority groups and opposition elements across the country.
“State police will derail the democratic system as it will be used to suppress dissent and turn those in positions of authority, especially the governors, into dictators.
“We dare say that, with state police, anybody who is seen as an opponent of the government would be hounded and thrown into jail, or worse still, end up losing their lives. Opposition will be criminalised.”
The Forum further argued that the creation of state police would be counterproductive in secular societies like Plateau and other North-Central states, warning that the next step after state police would be the imposition of state religion.
“We don’t want state police in the North-Central, which is a secular region where you also have minority groups and people who practice different religions.
“We oppose state police because we have observed that some of our governors in the North-Central don’t want to accommodate minorities, including the religious practices of minority communities.
“If you are to arm these governors with state police, they will criminalise the traditional practices and religions of minority groups.”
The Forum described state police as a “dangerous proposal” due to what it termed the religious bias of some governors.
“One of the biggest problems in Nigeria at the moment is that most of the governors are practising religion more than governance. They believe in religious doctrines more than the constitution of Nigeria.
“In various parts of the country, we have observed instances where governors try to impose their own religious practices on adherents of other religions. Now, if you give them state police, armed with AK-47, what do you think will be the fate of anybody who does not agree with them?”
The group concluded by urging both government and civil society to reject the idea.
“These are the reasons why we – the North-Central APC Forum – are urging President Bola Tinubu and members of the National Assembly – especially those senators and members of the House of Representatives that are very articulate and have the interest of the country at heart – to reject calls for state police.
“It will be counterproductive. State police is an evil wind that will not blow anyone any good.
“We also urge civil society organisations and all Nigerians to reject this proposal.”
