The National Economic Council (NEC) has given all states until September 9, 2024, to make their decision known on the establishment of State Police.
NEC gave the deadline following the meeting chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday, acting Oyo State Governor, Bayo Lawal, disclosed that four states had not yet submitted their reports.
According to Lawal, NEC directed that the four states must make their stance on the issue known by Monday
While the four states were not mentioned during the briefing, NEC insisted that after Monday, any stated which failed to make submission would have no option than to accept whatever decision is reached eventually.
President Bola Tinubu had previously endorsed the establishment of state police, as suggested by state governors, to address rising insecurity in the country.
States were instructed to submit their reports for NEC deliberation and action.
A month after the agreement, 16 governors submitted their reports to the National Economic Council (NEC), expressing their support for the creation of state police and the amendment of the 1999 Constitution to allow for the same.
Since then, more states have also submitted their positions on the issue, leaving out only four states yet to make their own submissions.
Though a lot of people and groups have called for the creation of state police, the proposal has faced some criticisms from some quarters.
Some persons believe that funding could be a challenge for state police as some governors would demand an upward review of monthly allocations to their states.