The Northern Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has opposed the Federal Government’s plan to create state police, describing it as a “misplaced priority.”
NYCN President, Isah Abubakar, in a statement obtained by The News Chronicle on Thursday, argued that the focus should be on strengthening the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), which is hampered by underfunding, manpower shortages, poor welfare, and corruption.
He warned that state police could be politicised and used for intimidation, stressing that Nigerian politicians lack the maturity to manage such power responsibly.
Instead, Abubakar urged the government to expand and reform the NPF, proposing a recruitment target of at least five million officers to meet the nation’s security demands.
This comes after President Bola Tinubu disclosed that plans for state police were underway as part of efforts to tackle insecurity.