*鈥�The Tinubu Media Support Group says President Bola Ahmed Tinubu鈥檚 support for security reforms to establish State Police indicates a bold step towards reengineering internal security framework in Nigeria

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鈥嶵he Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG) has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu鈥檚 support for security reforms to evolve State Police marks a bold step towards reengineering Nigeria鈥檚 internal security framework.

TMSG said the move to establish state policing system aligned with President Tinubu’s long-standing position on decentralised policing in Nigeria.

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Group’s Chairman Emeka Nwankpa and Secretary Dapo Okubanjo, in a statement said: 鈥庘�淲e are aware that the first attempt in recent years to create a legal framework for the establishment of state police was in 2018 when the then Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, sponsored the bill.

鈥庘�淓ven though Ekweremadu was the Chairman of the National Assembly鈥檚 Constitution Review Committee, the move failed.

“He also made another effort in 2020, but it did not see the light of day.鈥�

鈥嶵MSG noted that the momentum now appears different, with Tinubu鈥檚 public endorsement coming as both chambers of the National Assembly (NASA) work on a bill for state Police.

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They also stated: 鈥庘�淲e see the President鈥檚 position as a clear message to Federal lawmakers, who are due to resume plenary in a few weeks to speed up the process of presenting a bill that will amend section 214 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which exclusively provides for a Federal policing system.

鈥庘�淚t is also a reflection of President Tinubu鈥檚 long-standing advocacy for state police as a panacea to insecurity in the country as well as addressing local policing needs.鈥�

The Group further stated: 鈥庘�淲e acknowledge that this is the first time a sitting President would publicly declare his backing for State Police.鈥�

According to 鈥嶵MSG, some past leaders only voiced support after leaving office, but President Tinubu is pushing the security reforms during his tenure.

It explained: 鈥庘�淚t was after former President Goodluck Jonathan left office that he began his advocacy for a decentralised policing system, while former Muhammadu Buhari famously declared in a rare TV interview, in 2022, that State Police was not an option to address the country鈥檚 security challenges.

鈥庘�淔ormer President Buhari鈥檚 opposition was based on the same fears that many Nigerians had expressed about the overbearing influence of state governments and the possibility of abuse.鈥�

鈥嶵he TMSG, therefore, expressed confidence that the Tinubu administration would implement mechanisms to prevent abuse, or politicisation of state police by State Governors in the West African country.

The statement also noted: 鈥庘�淭here are already indications that the Federal Government may be working on safeguards against possible misuse of state police by putting the process under the control of a central body to ensure a unified standard.

鈥庘�淪o it is not likely that the state police that the President envisages will be one that will be exclusively under the control of governors.鈥�

The Group said: 鈥庘�淭his is why the President was emphatic that while political concerns will always surface around the issue, they must not be allowed to derail urgent security reforms.鈥�

The State Police option would meet its objectives, ending up as one of the far-reaching legacies of the Bola Tinubu administration, the TMSG added.

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