Lagos State is prepared for the establishment of a state police, according to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. He also notes that the state has at least 10,000 personnel who will be deployed right away if the National Assembly and the Federal Government finalize the constitutional requirements pertaining to the creation of a state police.
In a media chat on Thursday, Sanwo-Olu expressed his excitement for the establishment of state police in the nation.
As per his statement, members of the Lagos Neighborhood Safety Corps (LNSC), a security organization in uniform founded by a Lagos State House of Assembly legislation in 2016, would be drafted to join the state police.
“I am an advocate for it. I believe we needed it like yesterday. And the interesting thing is that we have the Neighborhood Watch and it is still functional, about 6,000 of them. The good news is that I have given approval for us to recruit additional 4,000 of them. And this is job for our youths, our able-bodied men,” he stated.
“What that means for me is that if they give approval for state police, I have 10,000 men that I can further train and get them ready and these are people that know the entire community, the nooks and crannies.”
The governor emphasized, “I am waiting for it,” and said that the guys of the neighborhood watch will go above and above if given the authority to use assault guns.
Speaking further, Sanwo-Olu said, “You can imagine what happens if that is turned around to a proper security agency.” They “provide intelligence at our state security meetings.”
Since the Seventh National Assembly, state police have been a source of controversy and have not successfully completed the amendment phase.
A bill to amend the Constitution to create a state police force passed second reading in the House of Representatives this week.
