National Economic Council Sets Sept. 9 Deadline For 4 States To Submit Police Establishment Reports

The National Economic Council (NEC) has set a deadline of Sept. 9 for four states to submit their reports on establishing state police.

While speaking to the media following an NEC meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, Oyo State Acting Governor Adebayo Lawal said the council also decided to review and adopt the reports from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The NEC reviewed updates on establishing state police due to security issues in various parts of the country, including the Northeast, Northcentral, Southwest, Southeast, and South-South, with the goal of strengthening national security.

Last year, the NEC asked the states to submit their ideas on setting up state police for this purpose.

"An update for the establishment of State Police was considered and this was as a result of security challenges that we have across the nation – North-east, North-west, North-central, South-west, South-east and South-south – so that we will have robust security in our nation," Lawal said, Premium Times reported.

"And for that purpose sometime in the past, NEC considered the establishment of a State Police and asked states to make submissions for consideration. Today all states were supposed to submit for consideration of the NEC. Incidentally, four states couldn't submit."

Lawal said that NEC decided all states must submit their reports by Monday next week. If any state does not meet the deadline, NEC's decisions on establishing state police will be binding on them.

While the governor mentioned four states were pending to submit the reports, he didn't mention their names. However, a source at the meeting identified them as Adamawa, Kwara, Sokoto, and Kebbi.

During the media briefing, the Governor of Bauchi Bala Mohammed disclosed that NEC also discussed the flood situation across the states, revealing that the federal government has released N3 billion in funds for the food security of the people affected.

Nasarawa State governor Abdullahi Sule said, "The council has decided that Monday will be the deadline for all the states of the Federation to submit details of damages including farms, schools, barges that have been affected by the last flood and Mr. Chairman mentioned it will be taking into consideration for appropriate support to the various states."

"So these are the new very strong membership of the flood committee that will continue to address council henceforth."

Last month, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu expressed his deep sympathy to the people of Jigawa State following the recent flooding, which resulted in 28 deaths and the displacement of many residents.