Amid renewed pressure from Plateau State Governor, Barr. Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, for the establishment of state police, a federal lawmaker, Yusuf Gagdi, has restated his opposition to the proposal.
Gagdi, who represents Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, made his position clear on Sunday, the 21st of September, 2025, when he visited several communities in Kanam recently attacked by gunmen.
He insisted that he has “never been in support” of the governor’s push, arguing that state police would be deployed against political rivals rather than serving citizens.
Even in the face of repeated attacks in Garga, Kukawa, Kyaram, Gyambau, Dungur and Shuwaka communities under his constituency the lawmaker maintained that setting up another police structure is not the answer.
Instead, he called for better resourcing of existing security outfits. According to him, Plateau’s crisis would be better managed by boosting the capacity of the Nigeria Police Force, the military, the Department of State Services and other established institutions.
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“My position, even on the House floor, is that governors will misuse state police, particularly against political opponents, not to maintain peace and order,” Gagdi said to reporters during his visit.
“I say this without fear of contradiction or political misrepresentation. Nigeria is not ripe for proliferation of security agencies. Rather, I support strengthening existing security agencies. Fund the police, military, Department of State Services and others adequately, and ensure accountability,” he stressed.
Gagdi, a lawmaker with over a decade in the National Assembly, emphasized that what Nigeria needs is not more security agencies but efficiency and accountability in the ones already in place.
He further urged the Federal Government to intensify operations in forests straddling Plateau, Taraba and Bauchi states, describing them as hideouts for criminal elements fueling the region’s insecurity.