Governors of the 36 states of the country Friday said no position has been taken on the creation of state police in the country.
Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Ekiti state Governor, Kayode Fayemi stated this at the end of an hour meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Buhari, Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, the Governors and the country’s security Chiefs met at the Villa.
The governors who attended the meeting included that of Adamawa, Borno, Taraba, Kebbi, Delta, Sokoto, Imo, Ebonyi, Kogi, Yobe, Gombe, Ekiti, Lagos, Jigawa, Bauchi, Kano and Niger.
Others are Anambra, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Plateau, Osun, Rivers, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Zamfara, Kwara, Ondo, Bayelsa and Enugu state.
All the security chiefs including the Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin, Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Abubakar Sadique attended the meeting.
Others are National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno; ,Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Abubakar, Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu and the Director General of Department for State Service (DSS) Yusuf Magaji Bichi.
Briefing newsmen alongside his Borno, Plateau,Ondo, Ebonyi, Kebbi and Delta counterparts, Fayemi said the meeting was convened at their instance to address the security challenges in the country.
He said they have not taken a position on the creation of state police, saying experience varies among states.
He said while some of his colleagues are in support, others are against it.
He said the state police and other issues relating to the security challenges of the country would be discussed during the forthcoming National Economic Council (NEC).
The governors’ statement on state police came days after a presidential panel recommended the creation of State and Local government police to tackle the rising insecurity in the country.
Speaking on the $1bn removed from the excess crude account for security, Fayemi said the money was taken and that it has been spent among the security agencies in the country.
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