The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) is yet to take a position on the issue of state police, the forum’s Chairman, Gov. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State has said.
Fayemi disclosed this when he briefed State House correspondents after the expanded Security Council meeting, presided by President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Presidential Panel on Reform of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police Force had on June 3, submitted its report to the president.
The panel recommended the establishment of state and local government police among others things.
Fayemi said that each state has its own peculiar security challenge that needed a suitable policing arrangement.
“The position of NGF on that is that we have not taken a position because experiences vary.
“There are governors and states where their experience does not necessarily lend itself to a more devolved policing arrangement to the states.
“ But there are also states where there are agitations for this and their own governors too have a view that will work better in such states.
“Of course, there are economic issues relating to that; do we have the capacity at the state level to fund state police?
“Those are issues that will come into play when we get to the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting that has been called,’’ he said.
He said that there was a committee looking into the report of the panel on reform of SARS, adding that the issues would be discussed at the next NEC meeting. (NAN)