Stop Deceiving Nigerians! Makinde Blasts FG Over State Police Debate

He made the remarks during a public event that was later shared in a viral video, where he spoke extensively on insecurity and the efforts of Southwest states to improve local security.

Makinde said his administration has placed strong emphasis on security under the Omituntun agenda, noting that Oyo State initially had no local security structure like the Amotekun Corps before his government came into office.

He explained that governors in the Southwest had originally pushed for the creation of state police, but when that effort did not succeed at the national level, they resorted to establishing the Amotekun security outfit as a regional alternative.

According to him, Amotekun was created as a response to the failure to secure approval for state police, adding that Nigerians should not continue to be kept in suspense over the matter.

The governor further argued that states do not necessarily need to wait for the Federal Government or the Nigeria Police Force before establishing state policing structures, stressing that State Houses of Assembly could provide the legal framework if empowered to do so.

He said: “Security was one of the key pillars of this administration under Omituntun phase one and two. Before we came in, there was nothing like Amotekun in Oyo State. We wanted state police, but since we couldn’t get it, we created Amotekun as a stopgap. They should stop wasting Nigerians’ time.”

Makinde added that the creation of Amotekun followed a unified legislative effort across Southwest states, where Houses of Assembly passed enabling laws to establish the security outfit. He noted that Lagos State did not adopt Amotekun, attributing it to its own internal decisions.

“At this point, they should stop deceiving Nigerians. If they truly want state police, the Inspector General of Police should not be the one to create it. State assemblies should be empowered to do it. Once that authority is given, state police will be established quickly,” he said.