Former Sokoto State governor and current senator representing Sokoto South, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has thrown his weight behind President Bola Tinubu’s call for the creation of state police. He described the move as a necessary response to the worsening insecurity threatening lives and communities across Nigeria.
Speaking during a television interview monitored in Abuja, Tambuwal explained that insecurity in Sokoto State, especially in his senatorial district, has reached alarming levels. He noted that deploying federal police officers across regions without local knowledge often limits their effectiveness, stressing that local security outfits would be better placed to respond quickly and understand the terrain.
“I may no longer be a governor, but I believe state police is needed. The federal police alone cannot handle this. A policeman transferred from Sokoto to Enugu does not know the culture or the language. At this point, we need more personnel both in the army and police, and we must equip them with the right tools,” Tambuwal said.
He further stressed that recruitment, welfare, and support for security families must go hand-in-hand with any new policing initiative. According to him, families of officers killed in action often suffer neglect, and this must change if Nigeria hopes to motivate and strengthen its security system.
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Tambuwal’s remarks align with Tinubu’s renewed push for constitutional reforms that would give states the power to run their own police formations. The plan has sparked nationwide debate, with critics worried about abuse of power, but Tambuwal insists Nigeria’s peculiar security challenges make state policing unavoidable.
On the sensitive matter of payments to criminal groups, Tambuwal dismissed speculation that the federal government or any official is paying bandits. He responded directly to claims by a former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, who alleged that the Tinubu administration was paying violent groups. “I am not aware. I cannot confirm that anyone is paying these bandits,” Tambuwal said.
Despite his support for the president on security reforms, Tambuwal remains committed to opposition politics. He declared that his efforts to stop Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 are part of a nationwide movement, not a northern conspiracy. He insisted that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) should form a strong coalition if they hope to defeat Tinubu.
According to him, the chances of unseating Tinubu would be slim if Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Goodluck Jonathan, Rotimi Amaechi, and Rabiu Kwankwaso decide to run separately. He emphasized the need for unity, warning that multiple candidates would only split votes and hand Tinubu a second term.
Tambuwal painted a grim picture of the situation in Sokoto, lamenting that many parts of his constituency have fallen under the control of armed gangs. He revealed that Shagari Local Government had been completely abandoned as residents fled from advancing attackers. Similar cases, he said, are unfolding in Tureta, Bodinga, and other local councils.
“These criminal elements are no longer just raiding villages; they have taken over entire local governments. They kidnap, kill, and terrorize people daily. As I speak, Sokoto South and Sokoto East are almost completely overwhelmed,” he explained.
The senator called for a coordinated nationwide military operation, pointing out that criminal groups often flee from neighboring Zamfara into Sokoto whenever security agencies launch offensives in other states. He warned that without simultaneous action across affected states, bandits would simply regroup and return.
Tambuwal, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, maintained that while challenges remain, Nigeria must urgently strengthen its security architecture with bold reforms, coordinated strategies, and political unity if peace is to be restored.
