The North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum has called on President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to resist growing demands for the establishment of state police in Nigeria.
This appeal comes in response to Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s renewed push for state policing during a special court session in Jos to mark the start of the 2025/2026 legal year. Governor Mutfwang argued that a state police structure is essential to tackle insecurity in Plateau and other parts of the country.
However, the Forum, in a statement released on Friday in Abuja by its chairman and member of the APC Campaign Council for the 2023 elections, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, described the idea as dangerous and potentially counterproductive.
According to the Forum, the creation of state police could expose the system to abuse by state governments, worsen the marginalization of minority groups, and increase the risk of political repression. It stressed that in religiously and culturally diverse areas such as the North-Central region, misuse of state policing could undermine the rights of minority faiths and cultural practices.
The group further cautioned that the proposal threatens democratic values, could criminalize dissent, and may ultimately endanger national unity.
“We believe this is a risky path that could destabilize the country. We therefore urge President Tinubu, members of the National Assembly, civil society organizations, and Nigerians at large to reject the establishment of state police,” the Forum stated.
