The National Economic Council (NEC) will meet on Thursday, April 24, but the creation of state police will not be discussed, according to multiple sources in the Presidency.
Vice President Kashim Shettima is expected to chair the meeting at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa in Abuja. This will be the second NEC meeting in 2025.
A senior official told The Punch on Sunday, “The meeting is for the 24th of this month. But state police is not part of the things they will be talking about.”
Another source confirmed, “Some are pushing for it to be discussed. But as of now, it is not there.”
The decision to exclude state police from Thursday’s agenda comes at a time when violence is rising in several states. In Plateau State alone, over 120 people have been killed since the start of April, according to Amnesty International. Similar attacks in Benue and Enugu have left dozens dead and thousands displaced.
In response to such security issues, discussions on creating state police began in February 2024 during an emergency meeting between President Bola Tinubu and the 36 state governors.
At the time, Information Minister Mohammed Idris said, “The Federal Government and the state governments are mulling the possibility of setting up state police,” but warned that the process was still in its early stages.
Following the meeting, NEC asked all states to submit reports on their positions and plans for implementing state police. By the end of 2024, all 36 states had submitted their reports.
Also Read:
- Danjuma Urges Nigerians to Defend Themselves Amid Rising Insecurity
- ICPC Probes Universities Over Alleged Student Loan Fraud
Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani confirmed this during the NEC’s 147th meeting in December 2024.
Sani said, “From what is available, virtually most of the states are in agreement with the establishment of state police in Nigeria.”
He added that security challenges and ungoverned spaces have made local policing necessary. “That is why most of us agreed that the establishment of state police in Nigeria is the way forward,” he explained.
However, final decisions were postponed to allow more time for stakeholder engagement. The council planned to continue discussions in January 2025, but the meeting was cancelled due to a conflicting gathering of PDP governors in Delta State.
A senior source told The Punch, “We had suggested January 31 for the NEC meeting… but the PDP Governors are meeting on Friday too. So, we had no choice but to stand down the NEC meeting.”
While there is broad agreement among governors, the process has slowed down due to political concerns and the need for constitutional amendments. One source explained, “The thing is slow because of politics. There is a lot of politics involved. Look at the issues we are facing today. This is what we need now because of the killings in Plateau and Benue.”
Supporters of state police believe it would improve local security and accountability. Critics, however, warn that it could be misused by state governments and lead to political intimidation.
Though 36 states have shown support, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) did not submit a report. A Presidency source said , “FCT is not a state. They said that whatever the Federal Government agrees, they will go with it.”
For now, the wait continues. The source reminded, “NEC is not an approving body. It is only meant to advise Mr. President.”