Clement Adeyi, Osogbo with agency report

Determined to solve the insecurity challenges in the country, especially in the South West, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Muhammad Adamu, has assured that the police would go all the way in targeting forests being used by kidnappers and bandits as their dens and flush them out. 

The IGP disclosed this yesterday in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, during a meeting with security stakeholders in the region.

He assured the residents of the state on security of their lives and property, stressing that the police had concluded plans to rid some identified forests of bandits and kidnappers.

He said: “We are specifically ready to target the forests where there are bandits and kidnappers and take war to their dens before they strike.

“We also resolved to work with other local security agencies like vigilantes and fight crime, particularly because the governors have pledged to continue to support law enforcement agencies in their fight against crime by providing vehicles and other logistics.

“I am delighted to note that the strategies jointly developed between the strategic community actors and the police which are currently being implemented have been effective in addressing the identified security threats in the geopolitical zone.

“This is evident by the fact that since the meeting, the rate of these crimes has not only dropped drastically, several bandits have also voluntarily renounced crime, submitted their weapons and released several victims that had hitherto been kidnapped and held in their camps across the zone.

“We have concluded plans to, at the end of security summit, deploy special forces to the states in the region to complement the efforts of the commissioners of police in the areas in combating crimes and ensure a safe society for the people to thrive in their daily activities.

“We have rejigged our efforts to ensure that miscreants that carry sophisticated and other types of weapons around would no longer have a peace of mind in all the states of the federation.”

He stressed that the security situation in the southwest region, compared to other parts of the country was under control.

He added that the police had agreed with other stakeholders in the region to deploy technology to combat crime in the southwest states.

“We are aware of the shortage of men and this is the reason the federal government approved recruitment of 10,000 men every year to cover for the shortage.

“This year’s exercise is ongoing, it is not suspended. It will soon be completed. The cadet have written test, completed the physical fitness exercise after which they would be taken to the police college to complete the process,” Adamu said.

In a related development, he disclosed that the force has procured special patrol vehicles to be deployed soon across highways in the country to tackle insecurity.

Adamu stated this yesterday during his official visit to officers and men of the Oyo State Police Command.

The IGP said that the vehicles, which are different from the usual patrol vehicles in operation, have special gadgets that would help to easily detect crime on the highways.

Adamu also said that the government has acquired body armour for the protection of officers on duty.

The IGP further said that President Muhammadu Buhari has agreed to ensure that the existing police barracks are renovated while new ones are constructed.