Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has explained how the state plans to integrate a proposed state police structure into its existing security framework to tackle rising insecurity and improve coordination among law enforcement agencies.
Sanwo-Olu spoke on Monday during an interview on TVC, where he reiterated his support for the creation of state police, describing it as a necessary step toward building a more responsive and effective security system.
According to the governor, the introduction of state police would allow Lagos State to fully integrate security operations into its existing command and control centres.
“If we do have state police, we can ensure that me, as a Chief Executive of the state, can integrate the entire architecture of the state police into our command and control centre,” he said.
He added that President Bola Tinubu has shown strong support for the initiative, noting that the President is committed to ensuring Nigeria evolves toward a state policing system.
“And thankfully, Mr President has said that he’ll do everything within his power to see how the country evolves into a state police,” Sanwo-Olu said.
The governor disclosed that Lagos already has more than 7,500 neighbourhood watch personnel across the state and could significantly expand the number if state police become operational.
“I have over 7,500 neighbourhood watch. I can actually push to get them to 10,000 or 12,000 tomorrow or next tomorrow,” he stated.
Sanwo-Olu explained that the state plans to harmonise intelligence and surveillance resources across agencies, including the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), to ensure seamless information sharing.
“The same information that LASTMA has in terms of cameras, the same information that LASEMA has and the state police, we all sit together and we will share it,” he said, adding that such collaboration would deliver “a comprehensive, integrated security architecture.”
His comments come days after President Tinubu urged governors and leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to rally behind proposals for state police and fully implement local government autonomy.
The President made the call at the 14th meeting of the APC National Caucus in Abuja, where he also challenged governors to comply with the recent Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to local government councils, stressing that governance reforms must match the party’s political dominance.
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