South-West governors, under the aegis of the South-West Governors’ Forum, have renewed their call for the creation of state police to tackle the security challenges bedeviling the region and the country in general.
They made the call on Monday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, after a closed-door meeting held at the Oyo State Governor’s Office.
The meeting had in attendance the forum’s Chairman and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Others included Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), and the host, Seyi Makinde (Oyo).
However, Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, was represented by his deputy, Kola Adewusi.
The governors took stock of regional concerns and mapped out a coordinated response amid insecurity and rising fears within the South-West.
Sanwo-Olu read the communiqué at the end of the closed-door meeting that lasted for many hours.
Security Fund
The governors harped on regional integration and agreed to create a South West Regional Security Fund to strengthen the region’s response to insecurity, especially rising incidents of kidnapping, banditry, illegal mining, and unregulated interstate migration.
The Forum said the fund would be managed by the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission and supervised by the special advisers on security from all six states.
It said the fund would support coordinated operations, joint intelligence sharing, and rapid response initiatives across Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, and Ekiti states.
The governors further expressed concern over unregulated interstate migration, calling for stricter border monitoring and collaboration with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to ensure proper identification of migrants and prevent criminal infiltration.
While raising the alarm over the rise in illegal mining activities, they called for a stronger licensing framework and tougher enforcement to curb environmental and security threats linked to unlawful mining operations.
The governors also approved the establishment of a live, digital intelligence-sharing platform that would enable real-time exchange of threat alerts, incident reports, and inter-state security communication.
On forest security, the governors urged the Federal Government to support the deployment of Forest Guards across the region to reclaim forest belts currently used as hideouts by criminal elements.
Mounting Concerns
The meeting by the governors came in the wake of recent attacks in some states in the North by bandits.
In Nige State, gunmen abducted over 300 children from the St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, Papiri.
In Kebbi, 25 girls from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, were kidnapped, and the vice principal was killed by gunmen.
Last week, three people were killed when worshippers were abducted by bandits during an attack on a parish of the Christ Apostolic Church, Eruku, Kwara State.
On Sunday, the police confirmed the killing of five police officers in Bauchi State and the abduction of 12 female farmers in Borno State by bandits.
As insecurity worsens across different states, especially with rising kidnapping, banditry, and rural attacks, there have been calls on the state and federal governments to step up efforts to address the challenges.
