A dilapidated, mud-built police outpost in GarunguÉ—inya, Babura Local Government Area of Jigawa State, has exposed the worsening state of security infrastructure in Nigeria’s North-West, raising fresh concerns over the government’s commitment to protecting rural communities battling banditry, kidnapping and armed robbery.
ChroniclesReporters gathered that the crumbling police station serves more than 4,000 residents and nine surrounding villages despite its deteriorating condition. The ageing structure is also used to detain suspects arrested for banditry, kidnapping and armed robbery before they are transferred to larger police divisions.
The outpost is located in Babura, the hometown and local government area of the immediate past Minister of Defence and former Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Muhammadu Badaru Abubakar, a development that has further fueled public outrage over the state of security facilities in the area.
Residents described the condition of the police station as a reflection of the neglect facing frontline security personnel, warning that officers are forced to operate from a collapsing, poorly fortified structure while criminal activities continue to threaten lives and property across the region.
The development comes amid growing criticism over the spending priorities of the North West Development Commission (NWDC).
During an investigative hearing, the Senate Committee on Regional Development chaired by Senator Babangida Hussaini queried the commission’s financial records after documents revealed that of the ₦1.19 billion spent since its establishment, about ₦943 million—representing nearly 79 per cent of the total expenditure—was allocated to board allowances.
Although the Chairman of the NWDC Governing Board, Abdullahi Lawal, defended the expenditure, saying the funds covered seven statutory meetings and the drafting of 63 regulatory frameworks in line with the NWDC Act 2024, the explanation has done little to calm public anger.
Stakeholders and public policy analysts argued that while hundreds of millions of naira are being spent on administrative costs, police officers stationed in vulnerable rural communities continue to work from unsafe and collapsing facilities without adequate infrastructure to combat rising insecurity.
The situation has reignited calls for the Federal Government, the Nigeria Police Force and relevant intervention agencies to prioritise investment in security infrastructure across the North-West, where attacks by bandits and other criminal groups remain a major threat.
Efforts to obtain comments from the spokesperson of the Jigawa State Police Command on plans to rehabilitate the GarunguÉ—inya police outpost were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.