ACTING INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE

IGP seeks partnership with governors in fighting crime.

The acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar, has called on state governors in the country to partner with the police in fighting crime.
Abubakar made the call in Makurdi on Wednesday at the presentation of 20 new Hilux pick-up vans donated by the Benue government to the state's special security outfit, code-named ``operation Zenda''.
The IGP said that the donation of the vehicles underscored the willingness of Gov. Gabriel Suswam to assist the police in maintaining peace and security in the state.
He, therefore, called on other governors in the country to emulate the gesture, so as to collectively end the new wave of crime and criminality in the country.
The Police chief directed the Commissioner of Police in the state to ensure that the vehicles were not mismanaged.
He also charged policemen in the state to reciprocate the gesture by operating within the confines of the law, stressing that : ``anybody caught breaking the law will be dealt with.''
He restated his determination in building a new police force that would be people-friendly, and urged members of the public to support them.
In an address at the ceremony, Suswam said that the prevailing insecurity in the country buoyed the government to purchase the vehicles to assist the police in effective surveillance and crime prevention.
He said that ``Operation Zenda" would consist of personnel from the Military, the Police, Road Marshals and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp, adding that the vehicles would be deployed to the 20 police divisions in the state.
The governor lamented over the increasing crime rate in the country, especially the activities of the Boko Haram in some parts of the northern states.
He appealed to members of the sect to sheath their swords, stop blood letting and tow the path of peace.
Suswam stressed the commitment of the administration in ending criminal activities in the state and appealed to the people to provide useful information to security agencies to assist in that regard.
As part of its effort to reduce crime, the governor said that the government was doing its best to secure gainful employment to the people, and advised the people against breaching public peace.
Earlier, Col. Basil Kwembe (rtd), the Special Adviser to the governor on Security Matters, said that the donation was part of the government’s blue print on security, detailed out to combat crime in the state.