Segun Atanda/
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has renewed calls for the establishment of state police.
He aarguedthat state assemblies already possess the constitutional powers needed to create decentralised policing structures amid worsening insecurity across Nigeria.
Makinde’s remarks come in the aftermath of the deadly attack on schools and communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, where gunmen abducted pupils and teachers and killed at least two people, sparking outrage across the state and reigniting concerns over security failures.
Speaking on the growing insecurity crisis, the governor said the Western Nigeria Security Network, popularly known as Amotekun, was conceived as a temporary measure to fill gaps left by the overstretched federal policing system.
“Amotekun was our stop-gap for state police,” Makinde said, while criticising what he described as delays by the Federal Government in addressing the issue.
He also claimed that Lagos State initially stayed away from the Amotekun initiative because President Bola Tinubu, then a leading political figure in the South West, did not support the regional security outfit at the time.
Makinde further argued that the Federal Government should stop relying solely on directives to the Inspector General of Police and instead allow states to take fuller responsibility for internal security.
His comments followed the recent attack in the Ahoro-Esiele axis of Oriire Local Government Area, where armed men reportedly stormed schools, abducted pupils, students and teachers, while also killing members of the community.
The incident triggered widespread fear in Oyo State and prompted protests by teachers in Ogbomoso, who demanded the immediate rescue of their abducted colleagues and improved protection for schools.
The Oyo State Government later confirmed that seven teachers and and 39 pupils were abducted during the attack. One of the abducted teachers was subsequently beheaded by the attackers.
Security agencies have launched rescue operations across the affected communities, with the police uncovering what they described as a suspected informant network linked to the attackers.
At least six suspects have been arrested in connection with the operation.
Inspector General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, also visited the affected communities and ordered intensified tactical operations in collaboration with other security agencies.
The Oriire incident has added to mounting pressure on the Federal Government over Nigeria’s deepening insecurity crisis, particularly the growing spread of kidnappings and school attacks beyond the northern region into parts of southern Nigeria.
For years, advocates of state policing have argued that governors, who are constitutionally designated as chief security officers of their states, lack operational control over federal security agencies despite being held politically accountable for insecurity within their jurisdictions.
Opponents, however, have warned that state police structures could be abused by state governments for political intimidation and suppression of opposition voices.
The debate has repeatedly surfaced at the National Assembly and during constitutional reform discussions, but no consensus has yet been reached on amending the current centralised policing structure.
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