Security Leaders Call for State Police and Reforms

On Tuesday, at the First Daily Sixth Anniversary National Dialogue on Security held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, a consensus emerged among prominent figures, including former Chief of Defence Staff General Lucky Irabor (retd.), former Bayelsa State Governor Henry Seriake Dickson, and current Bayelsa State Governor Senator Douye Diri. They called for the establishment of state police, emergency funding for security agencies, and comprehensive reforms of Nigeria’s security architecture to tackle the country's worsening insecurity.

The dialogue, themed “Declaration of State of Emergency on Security: Matching Words with Action,” included various stakeholders such as government officials, security experts, and civil society organizations. General Irabor emphasized that the declaration of a state of emergency on security must lead to decisive actions and urged the Federal Government to increase funding for armed forces and develop Nigeria’s military-industrial complex.

Senator Dickson criticized the over-reliance on military deployments for internal security, advocating for reforms to rebuild internal security institutions.