Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has reiterated his strong demand for decentralizing Nigeria’s security architecture, decrying the limitations imposed by the federal command-and-control system on state governors. Speaking during an appearance on Arise Television from 11:57 on July 8, 2025, the governor emphasized that state leaders remain powerless over federal security agencies operating within their jurisdictions.
He said: “Charles, you know, and I know that is not how it operates. And that is a fact. I can tell the police commissioner this is what I want him to do, and he will tell me that, no, sir, let me hear from my superior. That has always been the case,” Lawal said.
He noted that the challenge extends beyond the police to other federal security formations, including the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC): “It’s the same thing with the army. It’s the same thing with civil defense. So it’s a general thing all over the country. If you speak to any governor in Nigeria today, he will tell you exactly the challenges he’s facing in terms of command and control of the federal government security forces.”
The governor insisted that the solution lies in empowering states to establish their own police forces, with the necessary legal and operational autonomy: “And that is why we’re advocating for our own state. When I know I have my police, at least they’re listening to me. I’ll be the one to provide everything for them. The most important thing is to have the legal backing, legal authority to be able to acquire arms and be able to train these people very well because they understand the trend better than convenience security.”
He explained that localized policing would offer greater efficiency, as community-based personnel are more familiar with the environment and its security challenges.
He said: “These are people from within our own community. So if I’m going to employ them, definitely, just like we did with the community protection guard, it’s going to be from local government authorities where they reside. They understand the people. They know the people. They know the trend very well. So it makes it much easier. I mean, these are people that we live with.”
