John Shiklam in Kaduna
Community policing strategy is to be implemented as part of strategies to address the security challenges facing the country, the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mohammed Adamu, has said.
Speaking yesterday in Kaduna at a meeting with Northern Traditional Rulers, Adamu said President Muhammadu Buhari has directed him to immediately commence the implementation of community policing across the country.
“The President of Nigeria, Muhammad Buhari has directed me to immediately implement community policing strategy across the country; this is a structure, which will enable traditional rulers to maintain an effective cultural and social control over their subjects,” he said.
Giving a statistics of crime across the country, the IG said 1,071 people lost their lives in crime- related incidents between January and April 2019 ,adding that no fewer than 685 persons were kidnapped across the country within the same period.
He said further that a total of 535 armed robbery suspects were also arrested in the last four months, following the launching of Operation Puff Adder.
“It is pertinent to mention that Zamfara State has the highest national kidnap rate of 281 victims in what has been directly linked to activities of bandits in the state.
“This is followed by Kogi State with 65, Niger State 51 persons were kidnapped within the period,” the IG said.
According to the IG, in the attempt to tackle threats by criminals elements within the shortest possible time, the Nigeria police recently launched ‘Operation Puff Adder,’ which is a special operation that is “aimed at strengthening state commands and reclaiming the public space from heinous criminals.”
He called for collaboration between the traditional rulers by supporting community policing in order to tackle the menace of armed robbery, kidnapping and other criminal tendencies.
In his remarks, Chairman of the Northern Traditional Rulers and the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Saad Abubakar III called for inclusion of the traditional institution in addressing the security challenges.
The Sultan also frowned at recent accusations that some traditional rulers were aiding and abetting the criminals terrorising the country.
He said traditional rulers will never be party to any insurgency, saying even though there some bad eggs.
