President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared that Nigeria will establish state police with safeguards against abuse, while reaffirming his administration’s policy of refusing to negotiate with kidnappers and other criminal groups.
The President spoke on Thursday at the State House, Abuja, while receiving traditional rulers from Oyo State led by the Olubadan.
According to Tinubu, the creation of state police has become necessary to strengthen security at the grassroots and address the country’s evolving security challenges.
“We have equally embarked upon what was missing. Several decades of fears and uncertainty about what to do about security at the local level will be corrected. There will be state police, and that state police will have guardrail from abuses. We will protect it from abuses, and you traditional rulers too will have a role to play more,” he said.
The President also ruled out negotiations with kidnappers or terrorists, disclosing that criminal groups had demanded the release of detained members of their gangs, in addition to ransom, during a recent kidnapping incident.
“We refuse to negotiate for ransom. These criminals wanted us to release from detention members of their criminal gangs that were already arrested. That was one of their conditions, outside of the money they’re looking for, and we said no deal. We are not going to negotiate with criminals,” he stated.
Tinubu said the government had continued to review and strengthen its security architecture, noting that lessons from every security incident were being used to improve operational strategies and response.
He disclosed that the Armed Forces had expanded their operational structure from eight divisions to 12 divisions to reduce response time and enhance the fight against terrorism and banditry.
“We’ve given a geographical and numerical answer to the challenges. From eight divisions, we are now moving to 12 divisions to shorten the response time and give that response the teeth needed for us to defeat terrorism and banditry,” he said.
The President also announced plans to strengthen the capacity of forest guards to flush out criminal elements operating in forested areas across the country.
“They are not just to chase antelopes and animals. We are going to have them chase the criminals and deal with them in various forests,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to support security agencies by providing timely intelligence, encouraging citizens to remain vigilant, know their neighbourhoods and report suspicious persons and activities.
The President attributed part of Nigeria’s security challenges to instability in neighbouring Mali, Burkina Faso and the Niger Republic, saying the situation had intensified cross-border threats.
Tinubu also called on state governors to channel increased federal allocations towards infrastructure that supports security and economic development, urging them to prioritise road networks over projects with limited public value.
He assured the traditional rulers that his administration was making steady progress in tackling insecurity and commended members of the armed forces and the police for their sacrifices.
“I can tell you the security challenge is getting better. We are getting a hang of it much better. Any time you come across some of our soldiers and police officers, please pat them on the back and say thank you. They are doing a good job,” the President said.
