Ogun State Governor and Chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum, Dapo Abiodun, has declared that establishing state police is now an urgent and non-negotiable step in tackling Nigeria’s escalating security crisis.
Abiodun made the statement on Wednesday while hosting governors from the southern region at his country home in Iperu-Remo, Ikenne Local Government Area. The meeting drew a strong turnout of leaders including Governors Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers), Alex Otti (Abia), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Chukwuma Soludo (Anambra), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), and Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo). Several deputy governors were also in attendance.
The governor said the recent wave of coordinated attacks on schools and places of worship had shown clearly that no part of the country is safe from banditry, terrorism, and kidnapping.
He commended President Bola Tinubu for directly overseeing recent rescue operations, describing the President’s involvement as “exceptional leadership.”
According to Abiodun, creating state police is essential for true federalism and for boosting grassroots security.
“A policing system that is closer to the people and more responsive to local realities is the only way we can address the fast-changing threats facing our region,” he said.
He explained that state police would improve intelligence gathering, early-warning systems, and protection of schools, farms, border communities, and other critical infrastructure.
Abiodun stressed that insecurity spreads rapidly and that geography is no longer a guarantee of safety especially in a region with major highways, industrial hubs and seaports. He added that Southern governors must speak with one voice in pushing for national security reforms.
The forum will also meet with traditional rulers, whom Abiodun described as vital to strengthening community-based security due to their closeness to the grassroots.
He noted that “We envision a Southern region united by cooperation, not rivalry; a region where peace, mobility, and shared development are the norm.”
The meeting comes amid public outrage following a series of mass abductions in northern states.
Last week, over 300 pupils and 12 teachers were abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State, just days after 26 schoolgirls were kidnapped in Kebbi State—an incident in which a vice principal was killed and a principal injured.
In another attack, armed men invaded a church vigil in Eruku, Kwara State, killing at least three people and kidnapping 38 worshippers.
President Tinubu, who suspended scheduled foreign trips, announced on Sunday that all 38 abducted Kwara worshippers had been rescued, while 51 of the kidnapped Niger pupils had regained freedom.
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