Police; President Tinubu reveals what he will do to stop banditry, insecurity

Police; President Tinubu reveals what he will do to stop banditry, insecurity

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared that the creation of state police is inevitable as Nigeria intensifies efforts to tackle worsening insecurity.

The President made the remark on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, while receiving a delegation of prominent Katsina indigenes led by Governor Dikko Radda.

Tinubu said the federal government remains resolute in addressing security challenges, particularly in states like Katsina, where banditry has surged in recent months.

He directed security agencies to review their strategies in the state and announced plans to deploy advanced military hardware and surveillance systems. The President also disclosed that the government would strengthen the capacity of newly recruited forest guards to boost security in rural communities.

While acknowledging the scale of insecurity confronting the nation, Tinubu expressed confidence that Nigeria can overcome the crisis through determination, careful planning, and coordinated action.

“The security challenges that we are facing are surmountable. Yes, we have porous borders. We inherited weaknesses that could have been addressed earlier. It is a challenge that we must fix, and we are facing it,” he said.

“I have today directed all the security agencies to energise further and look at the strategies. We have approved the additional acquisition of drones.”

The president further instructed that he be given daily updates on security operations in Katsina.

“I am reviewing all the aspects of security; I have to create state police. We are looking at that holistically,” he added.

“We will defeat insecurity. We must protect our children, our people, our livelihood, our places of worship, and our recreational spaces. They can’t intimidate us.”

Tinubu recalled that the federal government had set up a committee in February 2024 to review the framework for establishing state police.

He noted that the initiative has since enjoyed broad support, even though, as Vice-President Kashim Shettima disclosed in March, 20 states were yet to submit their reports.

The President also paid tribute to former President Muhammadu Buhari, pledging to safeguard and uphold his legacy.

“The time we lost our brother, President Buhari, is a loss for all of us. It is the will of God Almighty, but he has left in a good way,” he said.

“He didn’t hand over a defeated country, a battered political structure, but a legacy of success, and that is the most important thing.”

Governor Radda expressed gratitude to Tinubu for his consistent support.

“Mr President, I would like to thank you very much, and I want to say before our elders that there was never a time I came to the President with a request that he rejected,” Radda said.

Other speakers at the meeting, including former Governor Aminu Masari and Ibrahim Ida, the Wazirin of Katsina, praised President Tinubu for honouring Muhammadu Buhari and for the federal government’s investments in infrastructure projects across the state.

Ida, however, appealed to the government to prioritise the upgrade of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport and step up security operations in southern Katsina.