IGP Attends Conference Of Strategic Police Managers,Sends Powerful Message To Officers On Security Challenges

The Inspector General of Police, Alkali Baba has been speaking of the internal security challenges in the country with a view of evolving strategies and actions to address them

Addressing the Conference Of Strategic Police Managers in Abuja on Thursday, Alkali said the conference was a follow- up to the interactive session he had with Squadron Commanders on Wednesday on the up coming governorship election in Anambra State.

The IGP stated that as the year draws to a close, criminal activities would increase hence the need to consistently and widely engage in the best ways to address the challenges.

His address reads in full ;

I welcome you all to this Conference of Strategic Police Managers which is a follow up to the interactive session we had yesterday with Squadron Commanders on the upcoming Anambra State gubernatorial elections and critical internal security issues.

The object of today’s engagement is to further broaden the discourse on current internal security challenges and commonly evolve pathways to strengthen our strategies and action plans towards addressing them, particularly, as the year draws to a close with attendant possibility of increase in criminal activities.
Within the year, we have been confronted by threats occasioned by the activities of terror elements, bandits, kidnappers, secessionists and other violent criminals. In dealing with these threats, we have taken operational advantage of the Community Policing initiative, as well as the optimal deployment of our intelligence capabilities. We also energized operation ‘Puff Adder’ which was initiated to respond to the trend of violent crimes across the country in general and banditry in the Northern geopolitical Zones in particular.
In addition, we launched ‘Operation Restore Peace’ which was directed at restoring constitutional order and national cohesion in the South East and some parts of the South-South where subversive elements operating under the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), and the Eastern Security Network (ESN) have resorted to armed campaigns against the symbols of State authority and the citizens. I am glad to note that we have made significant progress through these strategies in our drive towards attaining our internal security mandate. These achievements would not have been possible without your support, sacrifices, loyalty and unwavering dedication to duty.
As we strive to build on these achievements, we are also initiating certain actions that are directed at addressing specific issues that impact on our professional output. In this regard, in the course of my recent duty tours, I have noticed, as well as received complaints on the poor and inhabitable state of most Police barracks. In response to this, the Force leadership is currently working with the Federal Government and Police Trust Fund as well as taking full advantage of the Public-Private-Partnership window towards redeveloping our barracks and establishing new affordable housing estates for all cadres of police personnel.
In addition, we are working at modernizing our police stations across the country both in terms of architectural design, furnishing and operational protocols. In this regard, we have developed a model police station architectural design which will be constructed across all the States of the Federation in replacement to the existing outdated police stations, most of which are no longer fit for purpose. The implementation of this project will soon commence and the initiative is to create a purpose-built, friendly and befitting working environment for police operations in the spirit of community policing and to start giving practical effect to our vision of modernizing the Nigeria Police Force.
In the interim, I have directed the Force Provost Marshal to initiate appropriate sets of actions towards enforcing barrack rules, restore our facility maintenance culture, and address health and hygiene concerns in our existing barracks and police stations. In compliance with my directives, the Force Provost Marshal has submitted an action plan which has been reviewed and approved for immediate implementation. The Force Provost Marshal will brief this gathering on the details of the plan in the course of this Conference. I must however, warn that very firm disciplinary actions will henceforth be taken against any officer that fails to comply with the set of actions being initiated in this regard.
Furthermore, as part of our welfare programmes, we are in the process of resuscitating the Nigeria Police Force Scholarship Foundation which was incorporated in year 2015 for purpose of awarding scholarships to the children of our late officers. In addition, we are on the verge of incorporating the Nigeria Police Insurance Company with the intent to guarantee seamless insurance services to meet the needs of serving, deceased and injured police officers.
In recent times, I have been inundated with complaints to the effect that operatives of the Complaints Response Unit (CRU) have formed a habit of indiscriminately taking over criminal cases from Commands and Formations across the country under the guise of investigating allegations of professional misconduct against Police personnel. For the records, the mandate of CRU is to review and deal with allegations of professional infractions as may be reported by citizens. This mandate does not extend to outright investigation of criminal cases.
In furtherance to my reform agenda which is directed at restoring professionalism in the operations of all components of the Force, therefore, I have directed that henceforth, operatives of the Unit are to limit themselves to their mandate of investigating only allegations of professional infractions against Police personnel. In line with this, on no account should the Unit take over casefiles and on no account should Zonal or State Commands transfer criminal cases to the Unit.
Furthermore, I am still receiving complaints touching on gross professional misconducts by operatives on patrol duties as well as others involved in criminal investigations or surveillance duties. These complaints often touch on incivility to members of the public, extortion and other forms of discreditable conducts. These professional infractions utterly negate our policing values just as they negatively impact on our drive to smoothen our partnership with the citizens.
Accordingly, I wish to use the opportunity of this Conference to reinforce the content of my recent signal that you charge your Monitoring Units and X-Squads to commence an enforcement drive that will identify the incorrigible officers involved in these unethical conducts. The IGP Monitoring Unit, X-Squad Section in the Force Criminal Investigation Department as well as the Force Provost Marshall are also directed to immediately deploy their personnel across all Commands with a view to giving effect to this order. Stern disciplinary measures will be initiated against any personnel arrested in the course of this enforcement drive.
The Anambra State gubernatorial election is scheduled for 6th November, 2021 and as the lead security agency in the election security process, the task of emplacing an effective Operational Action Plan statutorily rests with the Nigeria Police Force. Towards attaining this goal, it is customary that officers would be mobilized from Commands and formations across the country and deployed to strengthen the election security architecture in Anambra State.
Let me seize this opportunity to assure all citizens and stakeholders, including the international community of our determination to work with other security agencies in urgently stabilizing the prevailing security situation in Anambra State wcith a view to creating a conducive and enabling environment that will guarantee the peaceful conduct of the elections. We are also firmly committed to partnering with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) within the dictates of the Electoral Act towards delivering a credible electoral process and outcome.
In furtherance to this objective, an Election Security Threat Analysis has been conducted by the Force Intelligence Bureau and based on the outcome of this initiative we have developed a Strategic Election Security Operation Order which will involve the mobilisation and deployment of a total of Thirty-Four Thousand, Five Hundred and Eighty-Seven (34,587) police personnel. This will comprise of conventional police officers, Police Mobile Force (PMF), Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), Special Forces personnel, Explosives Ordinance Unit (EOD), Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB), INTERPOL, Special Protection Unit (SPU) as well as Police Medical Teams. We will also be deploying three (3) Police helicopters for aerial surveillance as well as detachments of Marine Police Operatives, specially trained Force Animals and our unique Technical Intelligence capability towards guaranteeing a safe, secure and credible electoral process in the State.
Drawing on our previous election security operations, we have also emplaced adequate forward and reverse logistics arrangements for a seamless police operation and have also made requisite arrangement to address the welfare needs of all personnel being deployed for the operation.
In assuring law abiding citizens and stakeholders of their safety during the election, let me warn subversive elements who are bent on employing violence to attempt to threaten our democratic values, as well as any political actors who may want to adopt undemocratic and illegal means to achieve their aspirations to bury such thoughts now or be prepared to face the consequences, as they will be identified, isolated and made to face the wrath of the law no matter how highly or lowly placed they may be.
The year is gradually winding down and as the lead internal security agency, I must remind you all of your critical roles in projecting and strengthening the security architecture in your Commands towards ensuring that anticipated security threats are prevented in the most professional and proactive manner. While aside the Anambra Elections, this shall form part of our discussion at this meeting, my charge to you is to return to your Commands and evolve strategies and implementation plans towards guaranteeing a stable security order. Accordingly, you are all to submit your End of the Year Security Operational Plans to my Office through the Deputy Inspector General of Police in-charge of Operations not later than 22nd October, 2021.
To complement your efforts, I can assure that we shall soon launch and deploy new fleet of patrol vehicles and other operational assets which are being procured through the intervention of the Police Trust Fund to re-energise the Safer Highway Motorised Patrol Scheme and strengthen your operational capacity.
On this note, I welcome you to this Conference and look forward to a professionally rewarding outcome. I thank you all for your attention and pray that Allah (SWT) continues to guide and protect you as you rededicate yourselves to national service.