Ondo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Kayode Ajulo (SAN), has reiterated the need for state police, arguing that Nigeria’s centralised security structure can no longer address the country’s diverse and escalating security threats.
His position follows President Bola Tinubu’s recent call on the National Assembly to amend existing laws and allow states that require it to establish their own police forces. Tinubu, who has declared a nationwide security emergency, urged lawmakers to begin the legislative process to enable state policing.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Ajulo said Nigeria’s security challenges vary widely across regions, citing herder–farmer clashes in the North, cultism in the South, kidnapping in the Middle Belt, and oil theft in the Niger Delta. According to him, a single, centralised police system cannot offer tailored solutions to such different threats.
“A centralised police force cannot effectively respond to all these challenges, but state police can,” he said.
Ajulo described Tinubu’s request to lawmakers as timely, adding that it provides an opportunity to formalise successful regional security structures such as the South-West Security Network, known as Amotekun. He argued that decentralised policing has recorded measurable successes in the region.
He noted that Amotekun has significantly reduced criminal activities—particularly kidnapping—through community-driven intelligence and quicker response capabilities. Ajulo referenced 2025 security data, which he said showed a nearly 70 per cent drop in reported kidnappings in Ondo and Osun states, despite the outfit not having full access to the arms available to federal security agencies.
“Operation Amotekun is a clear example of how decentralised policing can function effectively under constitutional oversight,” he said, adding that the corps’ success is rooted in cultural understanding, local intelligence and accountability.
Ajulo commended South-West governors for establishing the outfit and urged the National Assembly to legislate on state policing “proactively and courageously,” calling it an urgent solution to Nigeria’s insecurity.
He also praised Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa for approving the recruitment of 500 additional Amotekun personnel and inaugurating a new Control Command Centre equipped with drones, surveillance tools and real-time reporting systems. He said the investment positions the state as a leader in subnational security governance.
“The people demand state police not as an option but as a necessity,” Ajulo concluded.
