Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has renewed his call for the establishment of state police in Nigeria, arguing that existing federal security arrangements are no longer sufficient to address rising insecurity across the country.
Makinde made the remarks while reflecting on the recent abduction of seven teachers and 25 pupils in a violent attack last Friday. One teacher was reportedly killed during the incident, while security agencies continue coordinated rescue operations amid concerns that the abductors may be armed with explosives. The attack has once again intensified national debate over how best to secure schools and rural communities.
According to the governor, the Amotekun Corps—launched in 2020 across Southwest states—was never intended as a permanent solution, but rather a stop-gap response after repeated calls for constitutional reform to allow state-controlled policing structures were not acted upon by the federal government.
He argued that state assemblies already possess the constitutional authority to legislate on localized security frameworks, insisting that a decentralized policing system would better respond to region-specific threats such as kidnappings, banditry, and rural terrorism.
“The current structure limits rapid response at the community level,” Makinde was quoted as saying in discussions around the broader security reform debate, emphasizing that security challenges differ across states and require more flexible, locally managed solutions.
The push for state police has long been a contentious issue in Nigeria, with supporters arguing it would improve response time and intelligence gathering, while critics warn it could be abused by political actors and worsen tensions between regions.
In Lagos State, officials defended their existing security arrangement, including the Neighbourhood Safety Corps and other community-based surveillance systems. They maintain that collaboration between local security outfits and federal agencies has helped improve urban security, even as concerns persist over coordination gaps.
Security experts say the latest kidnapping underscores persistent vulnerabilities in school protection, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas where armed groups often operate with limited resistance. The attack has also renewed calls for stronger intelligence sharing and improved emergency response systems.
As rescue operations continue, the incident has once again placed Nigeria’s security architecture under scrutiny, with growing pressure on both federal and state authorities to find a lasting solution to the country’s escalating insecurity challenges.