Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has vowed to introduce state-level police units across the country in a bid to stem rising insecurity that has affected businesses, communities and daily life for millions of Nigerians.
Speaking during an interfaith breaking of the Ramadan fast with state governors and senior officials at the Presidential Villa in the capital, Tinubu said his administration remains committed to fulfilling promises made before he took office in 2023.
“Security is the foundation of prosperity,” he told the gathering, emphasising that without peace, farms cannot flourish, businesses cannot grow, and families cannot sleep in peace.
Tinubu described the introduction of state police not as a political move but as a practical step to strengthen local responses to crime.
The president explained that these decentralised forces would empower individual states to better protect their citizens and complement Nigeria’s national security architecture.
He urged unity and greater cooperation between federal and state authorities to ensure the plan’s success.
Tinubu also used the occasion to highlight ongoing efforts to boost economic confidence in Africa’s most populous country, saying the nation was emerging from economic uncertainty and urging leaders to extend development efforts to grassroots communities.
Nigeria has been grappling with a complex and persistent security crisis involving insurgency, armed banditry, kidnappings and communal violence in various regions, issues that have drawn national and international concern in recent years.
President Tinubu’s pledge arrives amid intensified debates over federalism and security reform, with some analysts and state governors advocating for greater local control over policing to more effectively address the diverse threats facing the country.
