From Sani Gazas Chinade, Yobe
The Kulen Allah Cattle Rearers Association of Nigeria (KACRAN) has rejected renewed calls for the establishment of state police, arguing that job creation, inclusive dialogue, and economic empowerment offer more effective and lasting solutions to Nigeria’s security challenges.
In a statement issued in Damaturu, the National President of KACRAN, Khalid Muhammad Bello, said the association’s position was reached after months of consultations with stakeholders across the North West and North Central regions.
According to Bello, while the growing insecurity in parts of the country has intensified demands for state police, KACRAN believes that addressing the root causes of violence will produce better results than creating another policing structure.
“Dialogue and massive job creation provide a more sustainable, cost-effective, and unifying pathway to lasting peace than the establishment of state police,” he stated.
The association recalled that the debate over state police dates back to Nigeria’s First Republic between 1960 and 1966 and has resurfaced whenever insecurity worsens.
KACRAN maintained that Nigeria experienced relative peace in earlier decades not because of state police but because communities enjoyed stronger social cohesion, better economic opportunities, and effective traditional conflict-resolution mechanisms.
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Bello identified poverty, unemployment, farmer-herder conflicts, social exclusion, and youth idleness as the major drivers of insecurity, stressing that these issues require economic and social interventions rather than increased policing.
The association also expressed concern that state police could be vulnerable to political interference and abuse, particularly in states that have enacted anti-open grazing laws. It warned that pastoralist communities could become targets of discrimination if state-controlled security outfits are established.
Instead, KACRAN urged the Federal Government to recruit more personnel into the Nigeria Police Force and the Armed Forces, expand employment opportunities for young people, strengthen food security initiatives, and institutionalise dialogue involving traditional rulers, religious leaders, and community stakeholders.
The association reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the Federal Government and security agencies in promoting peace and national unity.
“KACRAN remains a dependable partner in the collective effort to secure Nigeria and ensure peaceful coexistence among all citizens,” Bello added.