The Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, on Wednesday declared that the establishment of State Police has become a non-negotiable requirement for protecting citizens across Southern Nigeria, warning that geographical location is no longer a shield against rising insecurity across the country.

Speaking at the Regional Meeting of Governors of Southern States, held in Ogun State, Abiodun said the wave of mass abductions, attacks on schools, incursions into rural communities, and coordinated criminal operations has shown that no region is insulated from organised criminality or violent extremism.

According to him, the speed and mobility with which criminal groups now operate has erased assumptions of safety based on terrain or distance.

“Geography is no longer a guarantee of safety,” the Governor stated, stressing that the South, despite its dense population centres, industrial corridors, seaports and airports, remains highly exposed to cross-regional threats.

Abiodun insisted that the current policing structure is too centralised to respond effectively to rapidly evolving security risks, noting that the Southern region has consistently pushed for a decentralised policing model.

He said the creation of State Police is essential to “bring security closer to the people, improve intelligence gathering, strengthen early-warning systems, and secure schools, farmlands, border communities and critical infrastructure.”

He added that every Southern Governor at the meeting had already submitted a formal position supporting State Police, describing it as “a collective demand rooted in true federalism and practical security realities.”

The Governor called for a unified Southern security framework anchored on intelligence-sharing, digital surveillance, border protection, and enhanced community policing.

He proposed joint audits of major transport corridors and the creation of a regional rapid response system to manage emergencies and coordinated threats.

Abiodun stressed that security threats increasingly ignore boundaries, geographical, political or cultural, and urged Southern states to adopt an integrated response.

“We must move from assumptions of safety to deliberate, structured and preventive security planning,” he said.

The meeting brought together Governors from the South-West, South-East and South-South, with discussions heavily dominated by insecurity and the need for a regional consensus on policing reforms.