The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has declared its support for the renewed call by South-West governors for the creation of state police, urging President Bola Tinubu to use his office to accelerate its establishment.

The party described the proposal as timely, noting that it aligns with long-standing demands from stakeholders in the region for a more responsive and decentralised security framework.

The chapter expressed its position in a statement issued on Tuesday by its spokesman, Mr. Seye Oladejo.

Mr. Oladejo said the call by the governors reflected a clear understanding of the evolving security challenges confronting communities in the South-West and across the country. According to him, the scale and complexity of the nation’s security problems require multi-layered policing solutions, adding that the time for state police is not only ripe but overdue.

He noted that the South-West had consistently championed reforms aimed at decentralising policing and strengthening community-based security structures. He cited regional initiatives such as the Western Nigeria Security Network, Amotekun, as proof of the benefits of localised response mechanisms to crime and other emerging threats.

Mr. Oladejo said the introduction of state police would enhance intelligence gathering, strengthen response capabilities, and improve coordination between security agencies. He added that a multi-layered policing architecture had become increasingly necessary as criminal activities grow in sophistication.

The spokesman said the governors’ position also reinforced President Tinubu’s commitment to modernising Nigeria’s security system.

He stated that the APC believed state police, if professionally regulated and federally coordinated, would complement ongoing national security efforts. He urged Nigerians to approach the conversation with objectivity and to avoid politicising an issue he described as central to national stability.

According to him, fear-driven narratives would not help the country address its pressing security concerns, and citizens should instead engage constructively on how the proposed policing structure could function effectively within Nigeria’s federal system.

Mr. Oladejo reiterated the party’s confidence in President Tinubu’s capacity to deliver far-reaching security reforms to protect lives and property. He also expressed solidarity with the South-West governors for what he described as their continued commitment to the safety and welfare of residents in the region.

He said the unity demonstrated by the governors underscored the urgency of adopting modern strategies to confront insecurity. The spokesman affirmed that the Lagos APC would continue to support policies aimed at strengthening national resilience against crime.

The South-West governors, under the aegis of the South-West Governors’ Forum, had on Monday, at their meeting in Ibadan, renewed their call for the creation of state police to help tackle the security challenges bedevilling the region and the country at large.