Police beef up security ahead of HID Awolowo’s burial

The Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase has said that his visit to the South West was  to observe the level of preparedness for the burial of Chief, Mrs  HID Awolowo. Arase said he has deployed his men to various places where the  burial would take place, assuring the people of the state of  professional policing.

Meantime, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, during Arase’s visit, said  policemen are the most unappreciated and most maligned among the security agencies in the country. According to Obasanjo, for policing of the country to be effective, all Nigerians must support the Police, by supplying useful information on criminal activities in their communities.

He said: “It is a fact that the Nigeria Police are the most unappreciated and most condemned. But policing should be  everybody’s job. Everyone in the community should support the police. “The police in uniform are the professionals. The people in the community must supply them useful and timely information on criminal activities . That is when we can have effective community policing.”

Obasanjo, who admonished the Police to take intelligence seriously urged the IGP to sanitise the force and ensure that road blocks did not return.

IGP in Oyo state

On a visit to Oyo,  Arase said he would no longer accept flimsy excuse from any policeman who engages in any extra-judicial killing. He also urged divisional police officers across the country to ensure they don’t give weapons to policemen, who are emotionally or psychologically disturbed.

“If you discover that somebody does not have the right psychological orientation, you don’t give such person firearms at all. But you must be able to look at an officer and know whether he is disturbed. If he is disturbed, then you will keep him where he is supposed to be.

“We have been inundated with complaints about misuse of firearms. You don’t give firearms to people who will go out and say it was a mistake, or they shot somebody. You cannot shoot Nigerians because those rifles were bought with taxpayers’ money. You cannot turn those guns against the people you are supposed to protect. So, anyone of you who is involved in extra-judicial killing, just be sure that I will never look the other way, I will prosecute you.”

Earlier, the IGP in company of the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Leye Oyebade visited Governor Abiola Ajimobi. Arase  told the governor that a special team of policemen from the  police headquarters had arrested a notorious six-man gang that was terrorising the South West.

The police boss also met many stakeholders including Fulani herdsmen, vigilance groups, farmers’ associations, Igbo leaders, and royal fathers. At the governor’s office,  he said, “I’m delighted to inform the governor that six members of a gang of kidnappers who had been terrorising the people of the state have been arrested and will soon be prosecuted.

“We will not spare any effort towards the provision of adequate security and maintenance of peace in  Oyo State.  I must commend the governor for the provision of logistic support to the state police command. “I want to assure His Excellency and the good people of the state that the commissioner of police and other officers and men would continue to maintain and sustain the prevailing peace and security in the state.

“ I was in this state before and when I compare the roads then and now, it’s a pleasure driving on your roads. Please, keep on supporting the Police. There is paucity of fundds in the country.”