Obasanjo makes U-turn, says Nigeria needs state police to tackle insecurity

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says Nigeria needs state police to tackle insecurity.

According to a statement by Kehinde Akinyemi, his special assistant on media, Obasanjo spoke when the leadership of the National Association of Ex-local Government Chairmen in Nigeria paid him a courtesy visit in Abeokuta, Ogun state capital, on Thursday.

There have been calls for state police following the widespread insecurity in the country but President Muhammadu Buhari had rejected the idea, saying it was not an option for the nation.

In August 2020, Buhari approved N13.3 billion for the commencement of community policing in the country as part of measures to consolidate efforts aimed at enhancing security nationwide.

But Obasanjo, who had also rejected the clamour for state police in the past, said its establishment would be a better option than community policing.

He said the worsening insecurity has gone beyond what community policing could combat.

“Our situation in Nigeria concerns everyone, particularly, the case of terrorism,” Obasanjo said.

“The case has gone beyond the issue of community police. It is now state police. It is from that state police that we can now be talking about community police.”

The former president also noted the need to strengthen the traditional system and the local government administration.

“I prepared it during the popular Murtala/Obasanjo administration because I believe that there is a need to enable that tier of government to work truly like a local government,” he said.

“They have their own executive, judiciary and legislature.

“They were working and they were very visible, building and managing roads, looking into education, health, local administration, agriculture, but they were all gone.”