Governor Seyi Makinde criticises delays over State Police, saying Amotekun was created as a stop-gap security measure

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has criticised the Federal Government over delays in establishing State Police, declaring that the South-West security outfit, Amotekun, was originally conceived as a stop-gap measure to address growing insecurity across the region.

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Makinde made the remarks while addressing concerns surrounding Nigeria’s security architecture, accusing the Federal Government of wasting time instead of taking decisive action on state policing reforms.

The governor specifically alleged that Lagos State did not initially join the Amotekun initiative because President Bola Tinubu was opposed to the regional security arrangement at the time.

“Amotekun was our stop-gap for State Police. Lagos didn’t join because Tinubu didn’t want Amotekun. The Federal Government should stop wasting our time and stop asking the Inspector-General of Police to establish State Police,” Makinde said.

The comments have reignited debate over the longstanding demand for decentralised policing in Nigeria, particularly as insecurity continues to affect several parts of the country.

Amotekun was launched by South-West governors in 2020 as a regional security network designed to complement conventional policing and strengthen local intelligence gathering across the region.

While most South-West states embraced the initiative, Lagos initially maintained a cautious stance before later aligning with broader regional security cooperation efforts.

Makinde argued that the persistent security challenges confronting Nigeria had exposed the limitations of the centralised policing system, insisting that state governments required stronger constitutional authority to protect lives and property effectively.

The governor’s remarks also come amid renewed national conversations on constitutional amendments and proposals seeking to establish regulated State Police structures under federal supervision.

Security analysts have repeatedly described decentralised policing as a potentially powerful solution to Nigeria’s complex security challenges, particularly in rural communities vulnerable to kidnapping, banditry and violent attacks.

Supporters of State Police argue that locally controlled security systems would improve response times, strengthen intelligence networks and enhance accountability within communities.

Critics, however, have continued to raise concerns over possible political abuse by state governors and the risk of partisan control of security agencies.

Despite the concerns, pressure has continued to mount on the Federal Government and the National Assembly to accelerate reforms capable of restructuring Nigeria’s policing framework.

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Makinde maintained that regional security initiatives like Amotekun were never intended to replace formal State Police structures but were introduced to fill an urgent vacuum created by escalating insecurity across the country.