Makinde Blames Tinubu for Lagos’ Refusal to Join Amotekun

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has accused the Federal Government of delaying the establishment of state police, insisting that Nigerians are being misled over repeated promises of decentralised policing despite worsening insecurity across the country.

Makinde, who spoke during the joint mega rally of the Peoples Democratic Party and the APM in Ibadan, said South-West governors had originally pushed for state police but were forced to establish the regional security outfit Amotekun, after the proposal failed to gain federal approval.

According to the governor, Amotekun was created as a temporary response to rising insecurity in the region and not as a replacement for a constitutionally recognised state policing system.

“We wanted state police. It was because we couldn’t get the state police that we established Amotekun as a stop-gap,” Makinde said.

“They should stop wasting Nigerians’ time.”

The governor argued that the process of establishing state police should not be subjected to endless bureaucracy or dependence on the Inspector-General of Police, insisting that state governments already possess the legislative capacity to create effective local security structures.

He recalled that South-West states successfully coordinated through their various Houses of Assembly to legalise and operationalise Amotekun in 2020.

Makinde further claimed that Lagos State was the only South-West state that declined to establish the security outfit because President Bola Tinubu allegedly opposed the initiative.

“The only state that didn’t create Amotekun is Lagos State and we know it is because their boss didn’t want Amotekun,” he stated.

Tinubu served as governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007 and has remained a dominant political figure in the state’s political structure.

Makinde maintained that if the Federal Government truly desired state police, it could grant state legislatures the required authority immediately, allowing decentralised policing structures to emerge within a short period.

He described insecurity as one of the defining challenges confronting his administration, noting that the establishment of Amotekun became necessary after it became obvious that full state police powers were not forthcoming from the centre.

The governor’s comments come amid growing insecurity in Oyo State, particularly following the abduction of pupils, students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area.

On May 15, armed gunmen attacked three schools in the Ahoro-Esin-Ele/Yawota axis, abducting about 32 persons, including 18 primary school pupils, seven secondary school students and seven teachers.

One of the abducted teachers was later reportedly killed by the kidnappers, further heightening concerns over security around schools in the state.