KANAM, PLATEAU — Despite renewed calls by Plateau State Governor, Barr. Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, for the establishment of state police, a federal lawmaker representing Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Constituency, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, has openly opposed the idea, warning that it would be weaponized against political opponents.
Speaking during a visit to attacked and displaced communities in Kanam Local Government Area on Sunday, Gagdi said he has consistently rejected the clamour for state police, insisting Nigeria is “not ripe” for such a system.
“Governors will misuse state police, particularly against political opponents, not to maintain peace and order,” he told journalists. “My position, even on the House floor, is clear — we should not proliferate security agencies. Instead, let us strengthen the existing ones.”
The lawmaker, who has spent over a decade in the National Assembly, admitted that banditry and violent attacks have ravaged communities such as Garga, Kukawa, Kyaram, Gyambau, Dungur, and Shuwaka — all under his constituency — but argued that creating another security structure is not the solution.
According to him, the answer lies in better funding and accountability for the Nigeria Police, military, Department of State Services (DSS), and other conventional security outfits.
Gagdi further urged the Federal Government and security agencies to launch intensive operations in forests straddling Plateau, Taraba, and Bauchi States, where he said armed militias and bandits operate with ease.
“Fund the police, fund the military, fund the DSS, and hold them accountable,” he emphasized, “that is how to protect our people, not by arming governors with state police power.”
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