South West Governors Renew Call For State Police, Want Regional Trust Fund To Tackle Insecurity

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 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 by the governors came in the wake of recent attacks in some states in the North by bandits which included the abduction of  over 300 children from the St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, Papiri in Niger State and the earlier abduction of 

25 girls from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State where  vice principal  of the school was killed by gunmen.

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.

Chairman of the forum, Sanwo-Olu read the communiqué at the end of the closed-door meeting that lasted for many hours.

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.