With heightened insecurity and activists constantly clamouring for police reforms, there has been several recommendations that State Policing would provide the needed security for Nigerians.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, of Lagos State, South West Nigeria, has lent his voice to the call saying resources expended on security by state governors can be used to fund state police.
Point News 247 reports that the issue of police reforms have been at the front burner of security challenges in the country with politicians, lawyers and other stakeholders increasingly sounding the alarm for state policing.
In March, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo had argued that a multi-ethnic nation like Nigeria needs state police to address its security challenges.
On this backdrop, Sanwo-Olu said state policing will help subnationals ensure that businesses and investments are secure.
The governor spoke on Thursday at the Fountain Summit held in Ekiti state.
In his words, “One point that we should not drop is the issue around state police, we have talked about it,” he said.
“We believe the amount of resource each subnational is spending on security is enough for them to have state police. We believe that after this Ekiti summit, the federal government will support the creation of state police.”
Sanwo-Olu said the security of Lagos is crucial to the economic development of other states.
The governor said Lagos hosts over 65 percent of international travel into the country.
“In any environment where you want investors to come, they must not only feel safe, they must know that you’re doing everything to protect their businesses and ensure that their investments are safe and secure,” he said.
“For us in Lagos, it is something that we cannot even play with. Lagos continues to be host to over 65 percent of international travels into the country.
“Deliberately as a policy, security becomes something that if we fail or if we don’t get it well, then we are actually even making it difficult for others in the hinterland.”