From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba Alkali, has revealed how to effectively tackle criminal activities in Nigeria, especially kidnapping rocking different parts of the country.
He made the revelation when he addressed police officers at the headquarters of Oyo State Police Command, Eleyele, Ibadan, on Wednesday.
Baba, who stated that he took it upon himself to go round all the police commands in Nigeria and that Oyo is the 16th state he has visited, explained that intelligence-led policing gathering is the way forward.
His words:
‘My point of reference in my agenda of policing is the issue of intelligence-led policing. There is nothing you cannot achieve if you have better intelligence about an incident before it happens. The problem of kidnapping that is bedevilling this country cannot be solved unless we embark on intelligence.
‘Rescue operations bare very difficult operations. If you allow the kidnapping to take place, to rescue the victim, you are at a disadvantage because your rescue operations must be the ones that will rescue the victim unhurt. So, it is better for you to chase and look for kidnappers before they embarked on kidnapping, or after they must have released their victim, that case should not end like that.
‘Those who did the kidnapping, after the release, should be chased and looked for after they must have released the victim. If you get them, it is minus whatever number of kidnappers get would get. If you have better information than you can get from the victim, who must have been rescued or released. With intelligence and the victim’s testimony, you will be able to get those poles so that you will prevent them from kidnapping another person.’
The IGP also charged policemen that their commitment to duty must be total, saying: ‘Your level of commitment must be total to this job. You must have a change of attitude. It is not forced labour. Nobody has forced you to come into this job. We all filled forms signed and went for interviews.’
Baba also warned the police against grandstanding as the lead security agency in internal security, saying inter-agency collaboration is germane to tackle insecurity in the country effectively. He stated that the police should know that there are some agencies that have been set up by the government and they are in charge of various aspects of internal security with better information, databases and training in the areas.
The police boss explained that when it comes to issues with aliens, the Nigeria Immigration Service should take the lead, while the police should support. He added that the same thing applies to fire outbreaks when the fire service should take lead, smuggling when the Nigeria Customs Service should take the lead, as well as why the Federal Road Safety Corps should take the lead when the investigation is being done to unravel details of vehicles used to perpetrate crimes.
‘Everybody has its own role that has to be controlled. They will support you and you will support them. If we are doing this, we will be able to solve our problems better than when we are working at cross purposes,’ Baba said.