2023: Police to Deploy Sweepers to Check Explosive Threats

Chiemelie Ezeobi

To eradicate potential explosive threats, especially in the light of the forthcoming 2023 general elections, the Inspector General of Police (IG),  Usman Alkali Baba, has said sweepers would be deployed across the country.

The IG made this disclosure at the Explosives Ordnance Disposal/Chemical Biological Radioactive and Nuclear (EOD/CBRN) Command in Lagos where he unveiled a new beret, Logo, shoulder badge and also inaugurated the refurbished conference hall and transit camp of the unit.

The enhanced accoutrements were made to fit with the recently upgraded specialty of the unit to involve chemical, biological, radioactive and nuclear tactics.

Given that the EOD/CBRN command had already started sweeping and reclaiming territories hitherto ravaged by Improvised Explosives Devices (IEDs) especially in the North-east, the sweepers are particularly targeted at potential threats around the 2023 general elections.

The IG, who was represented by the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Operations, Bala Zama Senchi, assured  all that operatives were receiving requisite training and more equipment being acquired and deployed to ensure that plans by criminals to use explosives to wreak havoc will not succeed.

He said: “The EOD capturing more territories, definitely, is worth celebrating by all of us.  In the North East, all the security agencies worked together and our efforts complemented each other.

“Nigerians should expect the EOD/CBRN to do even more than it used to because of the training and equipment they have received. The IGP has shown commitment about the training of EOD personnel which has enhanced their performance.

“However, I want to state clearly that all these commissioning and development of new equipment are projects that show we are preparing very well ahead of the 2023 elections to ensure that Nigerians will go to bed and have their eyes closed.

“ I want to emphasise that the IGP is putting everything in place for the security of Nigerians.”

On ensuring that sweepers, other gadgets were deployed across the country before the 2023 election, he said the commissioning in Lagos was not the only one thus far in Nigeria.

 “There have been other commissioning in other parts of the country, but Lagos being the commercial capital of Nigeria, occupies a very important space that is why we want to showcase some of these equipment in Lagos  before any other state in the country.

“We are doing everything possible to ensure that anyone that has no business with explosives do not have them.

“Presently, more arrests have been made. We have trained our men and for us to ensure that we do not record these explosions, members of the public have a very important role to play because the police cannot be everywhere. If the public notice anything they should inform the police,” he said.