From Molly Kilete. Abuja
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, yesterday, said the police has concluded plans to establish Mobile Police squadrons in states prone to kidnapping, herdsmen’s attacks and other violent crimes.
Idris said the establishment of the mobile squadron, which is the fighting arm of the Nigerian Police, became necessary to curb these crimes, which have virtually becoming the order of the day in the country.
Speaking at a conference with officers in the rank of commissioners of police and above in Abuja, the IGP decried the activities of hoodlums who have continued to make life unbearable for innocent Nigerians.
He said the police, the military and other security agencies were now working round the clock to rid the country of criminals and their activities.
Idris, while noting that the police had recorded tremendous successes in restoring law and order in southern Kaduna, Benue, Kogi, Imo, Abia and other parts of the country where kidnapping, herdsmen’s attacks and other violent crimes were rife, said the police had made huge recovery of arms, ammunition and other dangerous weapons in those areas.
He noted that the quantity of weapons recovered in Benue State alone, following the attack on Katsina-Ala, was enough for any criminal group to wage war with any country.
The IGP disclosed that the police had made several arrests of suspects involved in the attack that caused the death of several people and the injury of many others, but that the leader of the gang was still at large.
Idris said that the recovered weapons would be converted to official use because of their sophistication.
He stressed that the police had recorded tremendous successes in tackling kidnapping and herdsmen’s attacks in some states.
To effectively curb the crime wave in the country, the IGP called on state commissioners of police to approach governors in their various states to provide buildings for the smooth take-off of more the mobile squadrons as well as land to build post-service housing schemes.