However, Chairman, Southern Nigeria Governors Forum and Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, reiterated the need for the establishment of state police saying it was the panacea to the spate of insecurity ravaging the country.
The Ondo governor, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties and Strategy, Doyin Odebowale, said the stance of the Zamfara State government signalled a situation of near-capitulation on the part of the security agencies centrally controlled by the Federal Government and portends great danger for the polity.
He expressed great concern over the continued refusal by the Federal Government to grant licenses to security outfits, run by some states, to bear sophisticated firearms capable of confronting acts of criminality and brazen impunity with commensurate responses.
“The stark reality confronting the people of Zamfara leaves the government with no esoteric option than to lean heavily on the current arrangement. The government and the people of Zamfara State have been pushed to the wall. The feeling of despondency is pervasive in the land. We must, however, advise caution.
“The directive of the state governor to the Commissioner of Police to issue licenses to qualified citizens to bear arms in the defence of their immediate environments and the state in general is commendable. But the NSA and Inspector General of Police may have to issue licence to possess a certain category of arms. No such licence have been issued to individuals since 2007 while those which existed had been revoked. Therefore, this directive, attractive and compelling in the current circumstances, may be stifled by existing federal arrangement.”