The Security Adviser to Kogi Government, retired Navy Cdr. Jerry Omodara, says the state has the wherewithal to successfully operate a State Police.
Omodara told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lokoja that “Kogi has all it takes to set up and run a state police”.
NAN reports that Omodara was reacting to the move by President Bola Tinubu and 36 State Governors to explore the option of state police in tackling the security challenges across the country.
NAN recalls that President Tinubu on Feb. 15, met with the state governors in Abuja, during which they considered the possibility of setting up state policing.
Details of the meeting were disclosed by the Information Minister, Mohammed Idris, who said the meeting agreed on the need for state police but more discussions were still needed on how to implement it.
The Kogi security adviser, however, described the move as a landmark step that would drastically reduce the security challenges in the country to the barest minimum, if implemented.
According to him, the move is timely, considering the nation’s current but surmountable security challenges.
He, however, said that the National Assembly has greater role to play in providing the best legal framework that would make the state police work in every geo-political zone..
He reassured the people of Kogi that the Gov. Ahmed Ododo administration remained focused and would continue to improve upon the security architecture of the state, set up by its former governor, Yahaya Bello.
This, he said, would ensure that Kogi remained safe for all its residents and visitors.(NAN)
By Stephen Adeleye
