Exclusive: Tinubu Summons NASS Leadership Over State Police Amid Rising Insecurity
Exclusive: Tinubu Summons NASS Leadership Over State Police Amid Rising Insecurity
President Bola Tinubu has summoned the leadership of the National Assembly to an emergency meeting aimed at accelerating legislative action on the establishment of state police as part of efforts to tackle the worsening security situation across the country.
Presidency sources disclosed on Thursday that the meeting, expected to hold at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, will focus on strategies for fast-tracking constitutional amendments required to create state police and strengthen grassroots security architecture.
The development comes amid growing concern over the resurgence of kidnappings, particularly the abduction of schoolchildren, teachers and other vulnerable citizens in different parts of the country.
A senior presidential aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly on the matter, said the President was deeply disturbed by the recent incidents and had resolved to push for urgent action on the long-debated state police proposal.
“The President is worried by the increasing cases of insecurity, especially the targeting of schools and innocent citizens by criminal elements. He believes the country can no longer afford delays in addressing structural gaps in policing and internal security,” the source said.
According to the official, Tinubu considers state police a critical component of broader security reforms being pursued by his administration and is seeking the cooperation of the National Assembly leadership to ensure speedy consideration of all pending legislative processes.
“The meeting is essentially to build consensus and explore ways of ensuring that the necessary constitutional amendments receive expeditious attention. The President wants all stakeholders on the same page because security has become a national emergency,” the source added.
The move follows fresh outrage across the country over the abduction of dozens of pupils, teachers and other residents in recent attacks, incidents that have renewed calls for decentralisation of policing and greater involvement of state governments in internal security management.
State police has remained one of the most contentious issues in Nigeria’s constitutional and security discourse, with proponents arguing that localised policing would improve intelligence gathering, response time and crime prevention.
Opponents of state police however, have expressed concerns that state governors could misuse state-controlled police formations for political purposes.
