The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) says the establishment of the proposed state police will help the nation’s security agencies in tackling the high rate of insecurity in the country.

Speaking on Monday at the end of the National Summit on Security organized by the Senate, Chairman of the NGF, Governor Abdul’aziz Yari of Zamfara State said the nation could not be effectively and efficiently policed from Abuja.

“Today we have reiterated the position of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the position of the Security Summit we held in August, that there is a need for the state police; we can say it is the only answer,” Governor Yari said.

He added: “We cannot realistically police a country the size of Nigeria centrally from Abuja. State police and other community policing methods are clearly the way to go.

“There are about four million people in Zamfara and we have fewer than 5,000 policemen. We in government agree that we can find a way through which we can fine- tune the issue of state police.”

Governor Yari stressed that although not all states of the federation could immediately  create  state police, he maintained that there was need for their creation in the face of security challenges like Boko Haram insurgency, cattle rustling, armed banditry and militancy which continue to threaten the unity of the country.