By Israel Adamu, Jos
The North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum has urged President Bola Tinubu and members of the National Assembly to reject calls for the creation of state police in Nigeria.
The Forum, made up of APC stakeholders from the North-Central region, made the appeal in response to Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s recent advocacy for state police.
Governor Mutfwang, while speaking at a special court session to mark the commencement of the 2025/2026 legal year in Jos, said the time had come for the establishment of state police to address insecurity across the country.
However, in a statement issued in Abuja by its Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, the North-Central APC Forum warned that state police would pose grave risks to democracy and national unity.
Zazzaga, who served on the APC Presidential Campaign Council during the 2023 elections, cautioned that state police could become a tool for oppression against minority groups and political opponents.
“The North-Central APC Forum has noted with alarm the calls for the creation of state police in Nigeria. State police will only lead to anarchy and increased impunity across the country and should be rejected by all right-thinking Nigerians,” the statement read.
According to the Forum, many governors already misuse state institutions to intimidate opposition voices, adding that giving them direct control over a police force would worsen political persecution.
“If governors can manipulate the federal police, over which they have no direct control, what will happen when they command their own police? State police will simply give them a license to oppress,” the Forum warned.
It further argued that the creation of state police could threaten Nigeria’s secular identity, especially in the North-Central region, where diverse religious and ethnic groups coexist.
“We don’t want state police in the North-Central, which is a secular region with multiple faiths and ethnic groups. Some governors do not accommodate minorities, and giving them state police would enable them to criminalize traditional and religious practices of minority communities,” the statement added.
The Forum described the proposal as “dangerous,” noting that some governors already place religious beliefs above constitutional governance.
“One of the biggest problems in Nigeria is that some governors practice religion more than governance. If such leaders are given control of armed state police, dissenters and minority groups will face persecution,” it said.
The Forum therefore urged President Tinubu, senators, and members of the House of Representatives to reject the proposal, stressing that state police would be counterproductive.
“State police is an evil wind that will not blow anyone any good. We also call on civil society organizations and all Nigerians to rise against this proposal,” the statement concluded.
