Deborah Akinyosoye
Northern leaders, comprising governors of the 19 northern states and traditional rulers, on Monday reaffirmed strong support for the rapid establishment of state police, insisting that decentralising the nation’s policing system is now essential to tackling the worsening insecurity across the region.
The position was contained in a communiqué of views expressed at a high-level meeting in Kaduna, where leaders warned that Nigeria’s centralised police architecture can no longer cater to a population exceeding 200 million people, especially with vast ungoverned territories exposed to criminality.
They emphasised that many rural communities remain without adequate protection due to personnel shortages and structural limitations.
The meeting, hosted by Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani and chaired by Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State, brought together governors and traditional rulers to examine the persistent security threats, ranging from banditry and mass abductions to farmer-herder clashes and disruptions to economic activity , plaguing the region.
Governor Uba Sani, in his opening remarks, stressed that the North faces a complex and evolving security situation that demands coordinated action and a policing system adapted to current realities.
He dismissed claims that northern governors have been slow or indifferent to the crisis, insisting they have been working collectively to address threats and improve public safety.
The governor said: “The public conversation about insecurity in the north has become more complicated. A few voices driven by political motives have worked to create the impression that northern governors have grown complacent, nothing could be further from the truth. We know the weight of the mandate entrusted to us, we lead the urgency of every security threat and every developmental need.
Sani argued that the creation of state police has become unavoidable given Nigeria’s limited number of police personnel and the growing sophistication of violent criminal groups.
“Nigeria’s centralised policing model can no longer meet the demands of a nation with over two hundred million people with vast ungoverned spaces. With fewer than four hundred thousand police officers nationwide, many rural communities are left without meaningful protection,” he said.
He said governors have developed an “informal peer review mechanism” through which they share intelligence, compare counter-security strategies, and adopt successful interventions from one another.
According to him, political narratives suggesting that northern leaders are complacent only distract from ongoing efforts and undermine public confidence. He urged stakeholders to support reforms that strengthen law enforcement at the community level where insecurity is most deeply felt.
Governor Yahaya reinforced this stance, stating that the security challenges are not confined to any religious or ethnic group but affect all residents of the North, Muslims and Christians alike.
He commended President Bola Tinubu for taking what he described as bold steps to stabilise the country but noted that state-level policing is key to sustaining progress.
He urged leaders and commentators to avoid divisive rhetoric that could fracture national unity, warning that such narratives play into the hands of criminal elements seeking to create distrust among citizens.
Yahaya stressed that insecurity in the North is deeply connected to systemic issues, including poverty, illiteracy, climate pressures, and decades of underdevelopment.
He maintained that addressing these root causes , alongside strengthening policing structures , was critical for achieving long-term peace and stability. While welcoming international support, he cautioned that such assistance must respect Nigeria’s sovereignty and account for the country’s unique social and cultural complexities.
The meeting ended with a shared commitment between governors and traditional rulers to intensify collaboration, deepen community-level engagements, and back reforms that enhance security across the region.
Leaders reaffirmed that the North requires a more adaptive, locally responsive policing model and urged the Federal Government to fast-track the process of establishing state police nationwide.