Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has called for the urgent establishment of state police, describing it as essential to Nigeria’s fight against insecurity, while noting that regional security outfits like Amotekun in the South-West serve only as temporary stopgap measures.
He spoke in Lagos on Tuesday at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs Distinguished Lecture Series titled “The Role of State Governments in Overcoming Insecurity in Nigeria”.
Sani, who delivered the lecture, stressed that governors must be constitutionally empowered to lead security efforts.
Sani highlighted the inadequacy of national security personnel, noting that Nigeria has fewer than 400,000 police officers and less than 250,000 military personnel to serve over 230 million people.
He argued that state governments, alongside traditional rulers, are uniquely positioned to address insecurity through localized strategies, dialogue, and socioeconomic renewal.