Insecurity: IGP meets strategic police managers.       

                                           

.To commission projects to mark one year in office.                                           

 

Jonas Ezieke, Abuja

 

 

To address the insecurity in the country and ensure adequate protection of lives and properties of the citizenry, the Inspector-General.of Police IGP Olukayode Egbetokun has held a strategic meeting of the IGP with the strategic Police managers from the rank of Commissioners of Police and above.

 

The Conference held at the Goodluck Ebere Jonathan Peace Keep Hall, Force Headquarters on Thursday in Abuja was to brainstorm with the Police managers with a view to addressing the numerous security challenges facing the nation and proferring solutions to them holistically.

 

He noted that it has been exactly one year since he assumed office as the 22nd Indigenous Inspector-General of Police.

 

He further said that he is profoundly honoured and delighted to lead this noble institution being the largest police organization in Africa adding that he takes great pride in the progress they  have made over the past twelve months.

 

According to the IGP, the nation have faced significant challenges, from terrorism and banditry to kidnapping and armed robbery.

 

He noted however that despite these threats, the force have remained resilient and steadfast in the task of safeguarding the nation.

 

He said: “I commend our officers for their dedication and hard work, demonstrated by their exemplary performance across various duty stations.

 

“Our efforts to grow capacity, improve services, and strengthen relationships with sister services and the public have yielded positive results in our fight against crime nationwide.

 

“This milestone provides us an opportunity to reflect on our achievements, acknowledge the challenges, and reaffirm our commitment to ensuring the safety and security of all Nigerians”.

 

The Police conference, he said  will evaluate the internal security operations and activities of the lead internal security agency over the past year, highlighting significant achievements and addressing the major challenges faced.

 

He also stated that they will also deliberate on security plans to support the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in achieving smooth gubernatorial elections in Edo and Ondo States later this year.

 

The number one Police officer expressed profound gratitude to God Almighty for His benevolence towards him, his family, and the Nigeria Police Force.

 

He commended the professionalism and restraint exhibited by our officers during the labour strikes of July 2023 and June 2024 noting that these situations required tact, wisdom, and objectivity.

 

He added that the Police responses showcased its commitment to the rule of law, democratic values, and human rights.

 

The IGP assured that the Police Force will continue to refine its strategies to ensure safety and security at protests and public gatherings.

 

He also stated that Nigeria has grappled with various security challenges for years, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, secessionist agitation, cyber-crimes, and other criminalities.

 

The IGP also said that 33867 officers have been elevated based on merit, competence and available vacancies in the establishment of the Force.

 

This commitment to fairness and excellence must continue and the current administration of the Police Force is prioritizing human capacity development within the Force as they had implemented a range of training programs including refresher and reorientation courses across all state commands.

 

The Police hierarchy he also said is also fine tuning plans to commission some key projects executed by the force under his leadership including the Cybercrime Centre, Public Relations School and other projects.

 

 

Fielding questions from the newsmen on the face-off between the Police management team and the Police Service Commission over recruitment of junior Police personnel, he said that there is no contention about the powers of the Police Service Commission on recruitment of the force personnel.

 

He said that the major issue in the ongoing crisis is that the Police management needed to scrutinize the list of recruited personnel to be posted to the force to ensure that they are of the right quality.

 

He added that the Police job is sensitive and all that the management team wanted to do is to ensure that right people are recruited into the force