Molly Kilete, Abuja
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, yesterday met with commissioners of police and above to brainstorm on the security challenges in the country as the Christmas and New Year celebrations draw near.
The meeting, which took place at the IGP’s conference room at the force headquarters in Abuja, was attended by all the 36 state commissioners of police and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), members of the IGP management team, Deputy Inspectors General of Police (DIGs), Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIGs) and operational commanders amongst others.
Items in the agenda include “the trends of crimes in the country, indiscriminate road checks/ extortion across the country, especially the South East corridors, return of arms and ammunition/missing arms, CPs tour of new facilities, departments briefings, general security feedback and” any other business.
Meanwhile, Adamu has given reasons why the police have more roadblocks and security check points in the South East.
Adamu, who spoke during a question and answer session from journalists shortly after his meeting with commissioners of police and above in Abuja, maintained that the police would continue to have more presence in the South East until the security situation there improves.
He said: “It is not road block per say, but it is stop and search. The more we have the visibility of our police on the road, the more it deters crime.
“The stop and search areas you see, especially in the southern part of the country, the South East in particular, is because of our assessment of the security situation in the country.
“Where we see more security challenges, we deploy more operatives so that the security challenges there will be mitigated.
“What we have asked the AIGs and DIGs to be doing is to make sure that those officers on stop and search duty do the right thing. They don’t molest people, they don’t collect money on the road and they don’t do things that are not required.
“But they will continue to be on the road so as to give confidence to members of the public so that the criminals will not take over the highways because if you don’t see police officers on the roads, the tendency is that the criminals would take over the road and they do what they know best and we will not allow that.”