President Bola Tinubu has announced that he will establish state police in Nigeria to address the country’s widespread insecurity. He also directed the military to deploy advanced hardware and surveillance systems in Katsina to counter rising attacks on civilians by bandits.

‎

‎The president gave the directive during a meeting with Katsina leaders, led by Governor Dikko Radda, at the State House on Tuesday evening.

‎

‎According to a statement by presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, Mr Tinubu reiterated the urgency of addressing insecurity across Nigeria, starting with vulnerable regions like Katsina.

‎

‎The president stated that the federal government would review the operations of the state police and further equip recently deployed forest guards.

‎

‎Mr Tinubu criticised those politicising the state police initiative, stressing the need for community-based security outfits familiar with local terrains and culture.

‎

‎”The security challenges that we are facing are surmountable. Yes, we have porous borders. We inherited weaknesses that could have been addressed earlier. It is a challenge that we must fix, and we are facing it,” said the president. ‎”I have today directed all the security agencies to energise further and look at the strategies. We have approved the additional acquisition of drones.”

‎

‎Mr Tinubu has also ordered daily operational reports on Katsina to ensure constant oversight and quick responses.

‎

He said, ‎”I am reviewing all the aspects of security; I have to create a state police. We are looking at that holistically. We will defeat insecurity. We must protect our children, people, livelihood, places of worship, and recreational spaces. They can’t intimidate us.”

‎

‎

‎(NAN)