Afenifere Criticises Governors Over Insecurity, Says State Police Bill is a Welcome Development

The single sharpest fact in one or two punchy sentences. Who did what, where, when, and why it matters. Not a summary of everything — the one thing that makes someone stop scrolling. A reader who only reads this paragraph must understand what happened. The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has criticised governors for not doing enough to tackle insecurity in the country.

Chief Ademola Folarin, the General Secretary of Afenifere, said in an interview that governors have not done enough to tackle insecurity. He also criticised the current state of the Western security network, Amotekun, saying it has failed to live up to expectations. Folarin explained that the main problem with Amotekun is that it was created without proper infrastructure and funding.

You see, we created Amotekun a few years ago. Have the governors abused their powers under Amotekun? I think we're overflogging it. And then you cannot give somebody something with one hand and take it with the other. Folarin stated that the governors have not given Amotekun the necessary resources to function effectively. He also said that the organisation has been demanding the establishment of State Police since March 2024.

State Police is something we should have had for decades. Anyway, we had Regional Police. So, the argument against State Police is pedestrian because they say it may be abused. But the Federal Government abuses federal police, so should we scrap it? The current State Police bill has been commended by Afenifere, but Folarin noted that it needs to be rid of its federal shackles if it is to be effective.

Folarin also spoke about the recent abduction in Oriire, saying that Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State erred in calling for a UN probe. He explained that the governors failed in their duty to provide adequate security for the people, and that the UN probe is not necessary.

Afenifere has been at the forefront of a clamour for State Police. We have been championing it for decades. The President didn't just decide to do State Police. It was part of the pressure that Afenifere put on him.