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A group within the All Progressives Congress in the North Central Zone has called on President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to reject the proposals for the creation of state police in the ongoing constitutional amendment exercise.
The group, tagged North-Central APC, comprising APC stakeholders in the North-Central region, in a statement issued on Friday by its Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, in Abuja, said the idea of state police is “an evil wind that will not blow anyone any good.”
Zazzaga, who served on the APC Presidential Campaign Council in the 2023 election, aaid that State Police is evil and would encourage abuse of power and oppression of minority groups and opposition voices.
The forum’s statement is coming against the backdrop of Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang’s renewed calls for state police.
Speaking at the special court session marking the commencement of the 2025/2026 legal year in Jos, the governor emphasized that the time for state police had come.
“I believe that the time for the creation of state police is now. When we do have state police, I am sure we will be able to respond better and address many situations faster,” the governor said.
The governor, who commended President Bola Tinubu for joining the call for state police, also urged the National Assembly not to relent in pushing the matter forward.
Mutfwang argued that the establishment of state police had become necessary to tackle insecurity in Plateau State and across the country. He called on the President and federal lawmakers to support its creation.
However, the North-Central APC Forum rejected his position, warning that state police would be a dangerous tool in the hands of governors.
”The forum noted with concern the calls for the creation of state police in Nigeria. Such a development will only lead to anarchy, impunity and the further subjugation of minority groups already facing oppression in several states,” the statement read.
The group accused many governors of already misusing federal police structures to intimidate opponents, harass critics and suppress dissent, warning that giving them direct control over state police would worsen the situation.
The forum noted that besides politics, state police could be deployed to enforce religious dominance and marginalise minority groups in a secular and religiously diverse states such as those in the North-Central region,
“One of the biggest problems in Nigeria today is that some governors prioritise religious doctrines over the constitution. If such leaders are armed with their own police forces, the rights of minorities will be endangered,” said Zazzaga.
The Forum therefore appealed to Tinubu, senators, members of the House of Representatives, civil society groups and Nigerians at large to reject what it described as a “dangerous and counterproductive” proposal.