By METROWATCH
To combat the nation’s growing level of insecurity, the federal government has hinted that it may adopt state police.
Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, made the disclosure to State House Correspondents on Thursday after a meeting between President Bola Tinubu and governors at the Presidential Villa.
The Minister was joined at the briefing by Governors Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Ubah Sani (Kaduna) and Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta).
According to him, the possibility of state police will be further discussed.
He added that a lot of work needs to be done, and the president and governors have agreed on working out the modalities.
While noting that both the federal and state governments are mulling the idea, Mohammed said series of meetings are in the pipeline to determine the modalities for the setting up of the state police, noting therefore that nothing concrete has yet been determined.
The minister revealed that a committee has been set up to synthesise all that had been discussed at the meeting.
Idris said the president has directed the national security adviser, the director general of the state department of state services and the inspector general of police to coordinate with governors to end hoarding of food commodities in the country.
According to the minister, President Tinubu has ordered the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, the Director General of the State Security Service, Yusuf Bichi, and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu to work with governors to immediately check the activities of those hoarding food items with intention to smuggle them out or make extra profits from the resulting scarcity.
The meeting decided to have State Governments increase the number and activities of forest rangers to improve security for farmers; deepen investments in food production and do more to get the youth more gainfully employed.
In addition, the minister said that, in contrast to the federal government’s previous stance, no food commodities would be imported.
He clarified that in order for the nation to be both self-sufficient and a net exporter, the government hopes to maintain the progress already made in local food production.
