The Southwest Governors’ Forum has renewed its call for the creation of state police, insisting that Nigeria can no longer delay the decentralisation of security operations amid rising insecurity across the country.
In a communiqué issued after its meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State on Monday, the six governors also urged the Federal Government to prioritise enhanced forest surveillance, warning that vast forest belts in the region have become safe havens for criminal groups.
The communiqué, read by Chairman of the Forum and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, stressed the need for federal deployment of Forest Guards across the Southwest, while state governments provide the personnel required for the operation.
Governors Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), and Osun Deputy Governor, Prince Kola Adewusi—representing Governor Ademola Adeleke—were in attendance.
The Forum commended President Bola Tinubu for his interventions in national security and rescue operations across affected states, expressing solidarity with the Federal Government over recent abductions in Kebbi, Niger and Kwara States.
As part of new measures to strengthen coordinated response, the governors approved the establishment of a South West Security Fund (SWSF) under the DAWN Commission, to be managed by the Special Advisers on Security from all six states. They also adopted a unified digital communication network for intelligence sharing.
According to the communiqué, the platform will provide real-time threat notifications, incident logs, traveller and cargo alerts, and facilitate rapid, coordinated responses across state boundaries.
The governors raised concerns about criminal infiltration of forests and the dangers of unregulated migration into the region. They resolved to intensify joint border management and ensure that migration does not become a channel for insecurity.
The Forum also expressed worry over increasing illegal mining activities, describing them as threats to public safety, environmental stability, and regional security.
Reaffirming their stance on state policing, the governors declared: “The time is now, and it can no longer be delayed.”
On food security, the Forum acknowledged improvement in agricultural output across the Southwest and commended farmers in the region for contributing to greater food sufficiency and stabilising prices.