Ondo stakeholder urges state to prepare for State Police

By Boye Oyeyemi

Development advocate and Ondo State stakeholder, Dr. Femi Akinkuebi, has urged the state government to begin preparing a modern security framework ahead of the proposed establishment of State Police.

Akinkuebi made the call following the decision of the Osun State House of Assembly to approve the proposed constitutional alteration for the establishment of State Police Services, reportedly becoming the first state assembly to do so after the proposal was sent to the 36 state legislatures.

He said Ondo should move beyond supporting the proposed constitutional amendment and begin planning a policing system that combines local intelligence with technology to address the state’s peculiar security challenges.

“Osun has taken the lead. Ondo should brace up. We should be among the states leading this historic reform, but our preparation must go beyond passing the bill. We should already be asking what kind of State Police we want to build,” Akinkuebi said.

According to him, Ondo’s vast forests and challenging terrain require an integrated security command centre that can coordinate intelligence and emergency responses while deploying technology such as crime mapping, drone surveillance, automatic number-plate recognition and early-warning systems.

Akinkuebi said technology could help security personnel monitor remote areas more effectively, adding that conventional patrols alone might not provide adequate coverage of the state’s forest corridors. He cited the use of drones in Kogi State as an example of how technology could complement ground operations.

However, he stressed that any technology-driven policing system must operate under clear laws and include privacy and data-protection safeguards, professional standards and effective civilian oversight.

He also called for early consultations among the state government, lawmakers, security agencies, traditional institutions, communities and technology experts. “State Police should not mean reproducing yesterday’s policing system at state level. It should give us an opportunity to build tomorrow’s policing architecture today,” he said, while urging Ondo to combine community knowledge, modern technology, professionalism and accountability.