Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo says Nigeria’s insecurity has “gone from bad to worse”, saying the South-West people are prepared to protect their domain at all cost.
Mr Akeredolu made the remarks while playing host to his former Loyola College Ibadan schoolmates in his office on Wednesday.
The governor pointed to the attack on President Muhammadu Buhari’s advance convoy near Dutsinma in Katsina on Tuesday to stress the parlous state of security around the country.
“The truth is that we will be prepared to protect ourselves and die in the process more than other people from outside. We can only protect ourselves better,” Mr Akeredolu stated.
The Ondo governor, who is also the chairman of South-West Governors Forum, said the region’s governors have met and were convinced that only the creation of a state police could effectively tackle security challenges.
According to him, the country’s security challenges have gone beyond Fulani herdsmen to the menace of bandits and now the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP), an offshoot of Boko Haram.
The Ondo governor added that the call for state police was not for self-aggrandisement but a reality of the time addressing that the people should be more committed to protecting themselves.
“For me, state police is not for self-aggrandisement. It is a reality of the time. For us in the South and even in the North, I know so many of them that have come to accept that a single command of police is not good for this country. This country is too big.
“We will continue to make our voice heard everywhere. We are almost there. We are licking our wounds here over the June 5 attack in Owo. It is a serious wound. We will never forget and we are putting together a memorial in a conspicuous place in Owo,” Mr Akeredolu said.
