Makinde to FG: Stop deceiving Nigerians on state police + Video

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has urged the federal government to stop “deceiving Nigerians” over the proposed establishment of state police describing the prolonged bureaucracy and national debate as a waste of time.

Makinde made the remarks on Friday at a joint mega rally of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.

Speaking at the gathering, Makinde also revisited earlier efforts by South-West governors to establish a decentralised policing structure.

He recalled that South-West states had initially pushed for the creation of state police but later settled for the regional security outfit, Amotekun, in 2020 after the proposal failed to scale through at the federal level.

“Some people will know insecurity was one of the major pillars of this administration when we established Omitutun phase one and phase two, and it will remain a major pillar.

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“Before this government’s emergence, there was nothing like Amotekun in Oyo State. “We wanted State Police. It was because we couldn’t get the State Police that we established Amotekun as a stopgap. They should stop wasting Nigerians’ time,” he said.

Makinde argued that states do not need to wait for federal approval or police hierarchy before acting, citing how South-West governors coordinated their Houses of Assembly to legalise Amotekun across participating states.

He, however, noted that Lagos State did not join the initiative, claiming the decision was influenced by opposition from President Bola Tinubu, who was a major political figure in the state at the time. “The only state that didn’t create Amotekun is Lagos State, and we know it is because their boss didn’t want Amotekun,” Makinde said.

The governor maintained that if there was political will, state policing could be operational within a short period, adding that insecurity remained a major concern requiring urgent decentralised intervention.

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