IG tells police to brace for more work

igpTHE Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar, yesterday urged the officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force to brace for more work to tackle the security challenges facing the nation.

Addressing senior officers of the Force, the IG who noted that the year 2011 posed great challenges, said the era of grandstanding was over.

“Let me stress that this is not the time for rhetoric and grandstanding. Transition periods are always tough because of a lot of anxieties, speculations, comparisons and rumours but we shall put all that behind us and begin to move forward as a unified team,” he said.

Abubakar said that the Police could do better than what they were doing with the right training and exposure to the necessary tools to deliver. “One of my top goals will be to make sure my officers have the best training tactics and equipment to keep themselves and the communities as safe as possible. We can make up for a certain number of officers through efficiency more than we are doing now, make better use of technology, and figure out better ways to keep our officers in the field. All forms of criminality would be tackled head-on with the right approach, right equipment and close collaboration with our community and collaboration of other sister security agencies,” he said.

Noting that the problem of the Force was the Force itself, he vowed to take steps to correct the ills. His words: “I want you all to know that we shall take this scrutiny seriously and take the responsibility to address our challenges and shortcomings. The plain truth is that no one is harder on the Nigeria Police Force than the Police itself.”

Meanwhile, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (MD/CEO) of Hensmor Oil Nigeria limited, Henry Omorodion, has reacted to negative reports portraying the acting IG as a religious fanatic.

In a statement, Omorodion who is also the Odunanoba of Benin Kingdom, “urged all patriotic Nigerians to ignore and condemn the report, and commended President Goodluck Jonathan for appointing M.D. Abubakar a Police officer of integrity with wealth of experience and hardwork.”

Omorodion urged the IG to “ignore them,” describing them as “detractors who want to divert his vision. He should remain focused and committed to the task of reforming the Nigeria Police.”

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