Amid the bloodshed and violent attacks in some parts of the country, the National Economic Council postponed discussions on state police until its next meeting on Thursday.
Bayelsa Governor Duoye Diri told State House Correspondents, following the council’s 149th meeting at the Aso Rock Villa, that while the topic was on the agenda, it could not be discussed in detail because it was still far down on the list.
“State police was part of our agenda today, but unfortunately, because of time demands, and after a very long meeting, we have been there for a very long time now, the presentations could not get to that point. So, I assure you that in our next meeting, that issue will be exhaustively discussed,” the governor explained after the nearly four-hour meeting.
NEC meetings are held on the last Thursday of each month, but the governor did not indicate when the next council meeting would take place.
But during the past few months, the event has been less regular. The much-awaited change has not been considered by the council since its December meeting.
Although all 36 states had filed reports favouring a decentralised police force, the NEC delayed debate until January 2025. The council claimed that the issue was not mentioned during their February meeting.
The governors honoured victims slain in the recent wave of assaults in Plateau, Benue, Borno, and Enugu States by observing a minute of silence at the meeting.
In a statement read by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma after their meeting early Thursday morning in Abuja, the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, led by Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, emphasised the need for increased recruitment into security agencies and the adoption of technology-driven solutions to tackle killings at the state level.
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He further stated that the Governors have established a committee to work with security agency heads on a joint strategy as an immediate step to address the surge in killings in parts of the country.
More people have been killed in a wave of assaults on different towns after at least 15 people were reportedly killed on March 9 in a series of repeated attacks by suspected herdsmen in Benue State’s Katsina-Ala Local Government Area.
At least 52 people, including a family of eight, were killed in an attack on Zike hamlet, Kimakpa community, located in the Kwall District of Irigwe Chiefdom, Bassa Local Government Area, Plateau State, on April 14. Numerous buildings were also set on fire.
The 36 state governors responded by urging security authorities to take immediate action and immediately address the security issues.
