President of Association of Industrial Security and Safety Operators of Nigeria (AISSON), Dr. Ona Ekhomu, has praised the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Mohammed Adamu, on the successful rescue of the District Head of Daura, Alhaji Musa Umar. He said that the performance by the police showed that it is capable of providing effective internal security if it is adequately resourced.
In a release issued in Lagos, Ekhomu said: “The dramatic rescue of the Magajin Gari Daura by the IGP’s Intelligence Response Team (IRT) led by Abba Kyari is worthy of celebration as it reaffirms the belief that the police can safeguard Nigerians from the scourge of kidnappers.
“The successful resolution of the kidnap incident using technical intelligence and good old-fashioned detective tradecraft shows that the best days of the police are yet to come.”
Ekhomu, who is the first chattered security expert in West Africa, said that the kidnap of the Magajin Gari Daura on May 1, was targeted violence apparently aimed at embarrassing the nation.
“The seizure appeared to be politically motivated as it was intended to show that the traditional ruler of the president’s home town could be abducted rather easily. It is a fitting tribute to the police that no ransom was paid to resolve this violent kidnap incident,” he added.
He called on the Federal Government to confer national honours on the team that rescued the monarch. He also called for financial reward for them.
According to him, “rather than pay ransom to kidnappers, let us reward gallant police officers like Abba Kyari and his team.”
Ekhomu advised the police to up their game in combating the problem of kidnapping, which is making Nigeria appear to be a “failed state.” He said that frequent incidents of mass kidnap in cities, towns, villages, farms and along highways was unacceptable. He said the extremely high incidence of kidnap perpetrated by herdsmen militia was a challenge to the performance of the police.
He said the police should consider operational performance and strategic performance in combating kidnapping.
“It’s not possible to spend two months investigating every kidnap case like was done in the case of Magajin Gari Daura. However, if the punishment is extremely severe, certainly the kidnappers will amend their evil ways,” he said.
The security expert urged the government to adequately fund the police to carry out their constitutional duties.