Gani Adams: State Police Could Crush Nigeria’s Insecurity in Just Six Months

By Emmanuel Kwada 

As Nigeria’s security crisis spirals with kidnappings, banditry, and farmer-herder clashes claiming lives daily, Yorubaland’s foremost warrior chief, Aare Ona Kakanfo Gani Adams, has thrown his weight behind state police, boldly predicting the menace could be eradicated in half a year if lawmakers act swiftly.

In a fiery appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily  Monday, Adams hailed a rare national consensus: all six geopolitical zones, from the South-West to the North, now back decentralized policing.

“For the first time, the six geopolitical zones in the country agree to state police. Even our Northern brothers the Northern Governors and the Emirs also agree on state police,” he declared.

The final hurdle? Legislation from the National Assembly and President Bola Tinubu’s signature. “And I believe that if the National Assembly legislates on state police and the president signs it into law, the issue of insecurity in this country will be resolved within a period of six months.”

Adams’ optimism arrives amid a chorus of southern voices demanding reform. Just last week, governors from the 17 southern states reiterated state police as “non-negotiable” for true federalism and grassroots security, a stance Adams endorsed unequivocally.

“I completely agree with the Southern governors that we urgently need state police. State police is a key element of true federalism,” he affirmed, tipping his hat to South-West leaders like Ondo’s Lucky Aiyedatiwa for pioneering the push.

“At the same time, I commend the South-West governors, who had already taken a position on this matter even before the Southern governors. Given the current situation in the country, anyone who cares about Nigeria cannot disagree on the need for state police.”

Yet, Adams didn’t shy from Amotekun’s limitations—the regional security outfit he helped birth in 2020. While praising its role in the South-West, he lamented its firepower shortfall: “They lack the sophisticated weapons needed to confront terrorists effectively.”

For Adams, state police would arm communities with the tools to hit back harder, turning the tide against well-equipped insurgents.