Tinubu Asks National Assembly to Summon Inspector General of Police, Reason Emerges
- President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged the National Assembly to summon the inspector general of police (IGP) to address delays and concerns surrounding the creation of state police in Nigeria
- President Tinubu said lawmakers must examine the implications of establishing state police and put safeguards in place to prevent abuse
- Tinubu reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to creating state police, describing it as a necessary step to improve security nationwide
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering public affairs and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
FCT, Abuja - President Bola Tinubu has called on the National Assembly (NASS) to summon the inspector general of police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun.
Legit.ng reports that Tinubu asked the federal lawmakers to invite the police chief to examine ways to 'institute controls and prevent abuses, as it was a necessary step in the fight against terrorism and banditry.'
Source: Twitter
Tinubu urges NASS to summon IGP
Speaking on Friday night, December 19, at the 15th national executive committee (NEC) meeting of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), held at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, Tinubu insisted that state police is the way to go.
A statement on Friday, December 19, by Bayo Onanuga, the president’s special adviser on information and strategy, obtained by Legit.ng, highlighted Tinubu’s stance.
Onanuga's statement reads:
"President Tinubu said that State Police is the way to go. He called on the National Assembly to summon the Inspector General of Police to examine ways to 'institute controls and prevent abuses,' as it was a necessary step in the fight against terrorism and banditry."
Lawan, others speak on APC meeting
Meanwhile, Ahmed Lawan, a former senate president and ex-presidential aspirant, participated in the APC NEC meeting.
Describing the meeting at the State House as a "significant gathering," Lawan said it provided a forum for the party’s leadership to convene, deliberate, and strategically align on our core priorities as Nigeria’s governing party.
He said via his official Facebook page:
"We are steadfast in our support of the president’s agenda. Together, in solidarity and with focused determination, we shall work tirelessly to translate this blueprint into reality for the peace, progress, and prosperity of all Nigerians."
In the same vein, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Governor Hope Uzodimma, Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, commended the president 'for taking bold, strategic economic reforms to enhance Nigeria's economic prosperity.'
Calls grow for state police
Legit.ng reports that the debate over state police gained national momentum in the mid-2010s as insecurity worsened across different regions, especially with rising kidnapping, banditry, and rural attacks. Many governors argued that the federal police structure, created in the 1960s, could no longer cope with modern security challenges.
Public reaction at the time was mixed. While many citizens and civil society groups supported the idea as a practical response to growing insecurity, others feared that politicians might misuse state-controlled forces. Despite these concerns, calls for decentralised policing continued to grow as security problems deepened.
Source: Twitter
Recently, governors of the south-west states renewed their call for state police, insisting that the worsening insecurity across the region has made the reform an urgent necessity.
Also, amid US' claims of a ‘Christian genocide’ in Nigeria, President Tinubu emphasised that state police is inevitable.
Read more on state police proposition in Nigeria:
- Establishing state police in Nigeria: "What I told US, European partners", Tinubu speaks
- Insecurity: Nigerian governor to establish state police
Tinubu speaks out on terrorism financiers
Legit.ng earlier reported that President Tinubu vowed that his administration "will go after" terrorism financiers, bandits, and foreign-linked mercenaries.
The Nigerian leader promised that his administration would defeat banditry and terrorism.
Source: Legit.ng
