Governor Seyi Makinde has accused President Bola Tinubu of dragging his feet, deliberately wasting Nigerians’ time over the creation of state police amid worsening insecurity in the country.

Mr Makinde, who spoke in Ibadan on Thursday, urged Mr Tinubu to support state assemblies to create state police rather than place the task on the inspector general of police, Tunji Disu.

The governor said, “Where we are today, they shouldn’t fool us. If they want to create state police, they shouldn’t ask the inspector general of police to do that. Our state assemblies will do that. Give them the authority and support. They are here. Within the shortest time, state police will come to be. They should stop wasting our time. They should stop wasting Nigerians’ time.”

The governor’s outburst came on the heels of emerging insecurity in Oyo state, especially the May 15 mass abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in the Oriire LGA.

Mr Makinde, who identified security as a pillar of his administration, disclosed that Amotekun, a regional security outfit, was created to ensure safety of lives and property.

“This is a tough period for me as a person and our state. But people will know that security is one of the major pillars of this administration both in my first and second terms and it will remain a major pillar. Before we came, there was nothing as Amotekun,” he added.

The governor, however, alleged that Lagos refused to be part of the Amotekun creation as a stop-gap for state police because Mr Tinubu objected to it.

“We wanted state police. We went for Amotekun because we didn’t get state police. Amotekun was a stop-gap for state police. We knew how we did Amotekun.  

“We passed a common law across the states in the South-West. All the state assemblies in the region passed the law. That led to the creation of Amotekun. The only state that didn’t create Amotekun was Lagos. And we knew the reason they didn’t create it because their boss (Mr Tinubu) didn’t want it.”

The presidency could not be immediately reached for comment.

In February, Mr Tinubu appealed to the leadership of the 10th Senate to amend the constitution to provide a legal framework for the establishment of state police to tackle insecurity nationwide.

The president said that the creation of state police had become urgent to address the country’s evolving security challenges, strengthen grassroots policing and enhance states’ capacity to respond swiftly to threats within their jurisdictions.

Mr Disu also submitted a comprehensive framework for the establishment of state police to the deputy president of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, as part of ongoing efforts to decentralise policing in the country.