The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Ibrahim Idris, has ordered additional deployment of police personnel in some states in Nigeria’s North-East.
Force Public Relations Officer, Mr Jimoh Moshood, announced this in a statement signed by him on Wednesday at the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
According to the police spokesman, all Commissioners of Police in charge of State Commands, their Supervising Assistant Inspectors General of Police, and other police formations nationwide have been asked to be on red-alert with effect from November 21.
He said the directive was given to nip in the bud and prevent the spread of the renewed Boko Haram attacks on soft targets, especially at mosques, churches, markets, and schools among other places of public gathering in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.
Mr Moshood was also hopeful that it would help to quell the recent attacks by armed bandits in Zamfara State and other vulnerable states in the country.
“The Police Joint Team will also pay particular attention to the security of IDP Camps and liberated areas in the mentioned states.
“While the ongoing joint operations between the police and other security agencies in the states of the North East of the country is being sustained, additional deployment of police personnel from Police Mobile Force (PMF), the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), Police Explosive Ordinance Department (EOD), Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department (FCIID) Personnel, Attack and Sniffer Dogs Section, have been made to the states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe to bring new impetus to the fight against insurgency by Nigeria Police Force in the affected states,” the statement said.
Moshood further extended the Force’s condolence to the Adamawa and Zamfara state governments over the recent killings in Mubi and Numan Local Government Areas (LGAs), as well as in Shinkafi and Maradun LGAs respectively.
He, however, called on the people in the affected states to be vigilant and more security conscious, most especially during periods of worship.
“A significant number of worshippers should be assigned and rotated to screen and watch over the praying venues to complement police personnel deployed to protect them. They are to promptly report suspicious acts or persons to the nearest police detachment or station to avert untoward incidents,” he said.
He hinted that the IGP has also directed the Commissioners of Police in the states to make additional posting of Joint Police Team, to patrol mosques, churches and other vulnerable locations on 24 hours bases to prevent any reoccurrence of such attack.
According to him, Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers (DPOs), and other Commanding Officers in the Area Commands, as well as Divisions in the towns and villages are under strict instructions to work with the people in the localities and sustain police visibility patrols.
Moshood said a new Commissioner of Police who was previously Commissioner of Police, Federal Operations has been redeployed to Zamfara State and has since resumed duty.
He said additional police personnel, comprising 20 units of Police Mobile Force, 10 cells of Counter Terrorism Unit, and Special Police Forces, as well as 2,000 conventional police personnel in compliance with the Presidential directive have equally been posted to the state.
“The new Commissioner of Police has been mandated by the IGP to re-gird the security architecture of the state, and quell the recent attacks by armed bandits on villagers and other innocent Nigerians at Shinkafi and Maradin LGAs of the state and restore lasting peace, security and normalcy to the state,” he said.
