We Will Arm, Empower State Police,Forest Rangers to Take Out Terrorists, Bandits, Vows Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu has signaled a significant scale up in Nigeria’s security strategy, declaring that operatives of the proposed state police and newly planned forest rangers will be “well armed” to decisively defeat terrorists and bandits.

The President made this declaration on Friday during the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja.

President Tinubu outlined a two-pronged approach to reclaiming security across the federation:

* Armed State Police: Moving beyond mere administrative support, the President emphasized that local police forces will be equipped with the necessary firepower to confront criminal elements in their immediate jurisdictions.

* Establishment of Forest Rangers: Recognizing that vast, ungoverned forest spaces often serve as safe havens for bandits, Tinubu announced the creation of specialized forest rangers who will also be armed to root out insurgents from these hideouts. “We are going for state police.

We will do forest rangers. We will arm them. We will defeat those terrorists and bandits, we must do that,” the President stated emphatically.

The President’s commitment comes in response to a persistent surge in killings and kidnappings across the country. While the move represents a major shift toward decentralized security, it remains a subject of intense national debate:

* Legislative Support: The National Assembly has largely thrown its weight behind the constitutional amendments required to establish state-level policing.

* Stakeholder Concerns: Some critics and stakeholders remain skeptical, expressing fears that state governors might abuse local police forces to intimidate political opponents or suppress dissent.

* Operational Readiness: The transition will require significant coordination between federal and state governments regarding training, funding, and the regulation of arms.

This move follows a series of high-level security meetings where governors and federal officials agreed on the necessity of local policing to complement the efforts of the overstretched Nigerian Police Force (NPF) and the military.