The Inspector General of Police, Mr. Muhammadu
Adamu, has restated his plans to improve the security architectures in the
southwest.
Part of the strategies, he said, is his plan to
partner with the Aare Gani Adams-led members of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) to reduce the
spate of insecurity in the southwest.
Speaking yesterday at the southwest
geo-political security summit, held at the International Conference Centre,
University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo state, the police boss, highlighted the
plans of the police to use human and
technology- driven measures to fight the scourge in the region.
The IGP, however, admitted the need for community
policing, stating that the police will do everything that is possible to nip
the scourge in the bud
"We are here today for security reasons. We
are here today to build trust, in order to salvage the entire nation."
"We are here today in response to the
emerging security trend in the southwest.
We have been evaluating and re-evaluating our operational strategies
while strengthening our institutional capacity in relation to the generation of
actionable intelligence and the conduct of special operations directed at
proactively responding to criminal situations across the country"
"The police is here today to advance the
principle of community policing in order to strengthen partnership between the
monarchs, community leaders and the police" .
"We are ready to galvanize our approach
towards restoring security and order across the country."
Assuring the southwest governors of his
readiness to address the security problems in the region, Adamu gave figures,
including the scorecard of the Nigeria Police Force between January and August,
2019, saying a total of 1,154 kidnapping suspects, and 2,015 armed robbery
suspects were arrested in the country within the period.
He spoke
on how the new initiative will serve as immediate intervention to reduce insecurity
in the southwest.
Meanwhile, the Aare Onakakanfo
of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Abiodun Ige Adams, in his speech, gave a thumb up to
the Inspector General of Police for the laudable initiative.
Iba Gani Adams commended the IGP for sending
emissaries to solicit his support for crime-fighting in the South West and
Nigeria at large, promising that he's ready to partner with the police to
ensure adequate security of lives and property in the country.
Aare Onakakanfo also reaffirmed his beliefs in
the new approach to develop a better and lasting relationship between the OPC
and the police. The recent move, he said, will help the police in getting
adequate information and intelligent gathering.
"Let me applaud the IGP for this laudable
initiative, it is a welcome development, that must be sustained. I want to also
appreciate the Oyo state governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde,
who is the host governor, for making the best impact on the burning issue of
insecurity in the southwest. Let me say it clearly that I am ready to support
and partner with the police authority in ensuring that the spate of insecurity
in the country, especially, in the southwest is reduced drastically. We have
done it before and we can still do it. I am ready to complement
the recent efforts of the police.
Earlier, in his speech, Oyo
state governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde had expressed the plan of his government
to build a strong security network in the state, saying his administration will
mark the 100 days in office by providing one hundred vehicles designed to fight
insecurity in the state.
The governor who later read the communique at
the end of the summit on behalf his colleagues in the zone, stated that the IGP
has "approved the deployment of special forces to be commanded by a
Commissioner of Police, who will lead a SWOT (Strength, Weaknesses,
Opportunities and Threats) team to support the crime-fighting initiative of the
state commissioners of police.
"The executive governors of the South West
geo-political zone have made commitment towards provision of more serviceable,
fast-moving patrol vehicles in support of crime-fighting, which shall be
launched in no distant future, to complement the available fleet.
"The traditional rulers have promised to
join hands with the police to take the ongoing fight against heinous crime to
the door steps of the criminals. The Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), has equally
agreed to partner with the police in fighting crime to bring it to the lowest
ebb. The deployment of cutting-edge technology, like CCTV (Close Circuit Television)
will be strengthened. Aerial surveillance of flashpoints across the South West
Geo-political Zone to be sustained.
"In order to give effect to the community
policing vision of the Nigeria Police Force, Community Policing Officers (CPOs)
would be recruited from within the communities, where they reside. This will
complement the police in law enforcement functions within their localities by
performing low-risk and non-sensitive police functions.
"It's agreed that the committee, consisting
of policemen, the OPC led by Iba Gani Adams, and other security agencies, including the Miyetti
Allah (Cattle Breeders Association) and the citizenry should be set up in each
state to further discuss the modalities on reduction of crime and criminalities
as it affects the states."
Governor Seyi Makinde, who hosted the summit,
and his counterpart from Osun State, Gboyega Oyetola, personally graced the
summit.
Also, deputy governors of Lagos (Dr. Obafemi
Hamzat), Ogun (Mrs. Noimat Salako-Oyedele), Ekiti (Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi), and
Ondo (Mr. Agboola Ajayi) represented Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Dapo
Abiodun, Kayode Fayemi, and Rotimi Akeredolu, respectively at the summit.
The event was also attended by traditional
rulers from the six states in the zone, including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan
Ogunwusi Ojaja II; Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu; Alake of Egbaland, Oba
Adedotun Gbadebo; Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji Aje Ogungunniso
I; and spokesperson of a Pan-Yoruba
socio-cultural and political organisation, Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, among others were also
in attendance.
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