Senators in the northern part of the country have called for the immediate establishment of state police, saying Nigeria can no longer afford to lose innocent lives while security reforms are delayed by bureaucracy.
The call followed terrorist attacks in Adamawa and Sokoto States on Friday that claimed over 36 lives, including security personnel and worshippers.
The Senators, who are operating under the aegis of the Northern Senators Forum, NSF, said that the spate of killings of innocent people in the North by terrorists has become unbearable and unacceptable.
In a statement signed by the Chairman of the Forum, Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’Adua (APC, Katsina Central), the senators urged the Federal Government, state governors, and state Houses of Assembly to urgently concur with the State Police Bill currently before the Presidential Working Group led by the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.
“Decentralized policing is critical to improving response time and intelligence gathering at the grassroots.
“We cannot continue to lose innocent lives to insurgents while bureaucracy delays critical security reforms. The time to act is now.
“The Forum prays for the repose of the souls of the departed and for the speedy recovery of those injured,” the senators stated.
They strongly condemned the attacks in Gaya community, Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State, and Ungushi village, Kebbe Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
According to the senators, the assaults claimed the lives of over 36 Nigerians.
They commiserated with the families of the victims and urged state and local governments to invest in and strengthen community vigilante groups to serve as intelligence partners to the police and military.
The State Police Bill is part of the constitutional amendment process and requires approval by at least 24 of the 36 state houses of assembly to take effect.
Northern lawmakers have consistently argued that a centralized police structure is overstretched and unable to respond quickly to local threats, especially in rural communities.
With Friday’s attacks adding to the growing toll of insecurity in the North, the senators said further delay would be “a disservice to Nigerians.”
Northern senators demand immediate state police after Adamawa, Sokoto terror attacks