President Muhammadu Buhari has instructed the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, to muster all required resources and bring the state of insecurity across the country to the barest minimum.
The President’s instruction to the IGP followed his confirmation by the Police Council as a substantive Inspector-General of Police. He was appointed as acting IGP by President Buhari on April 5, 2021.
Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Maigari Dingyadi, who disclosed details of the President’s marching order to the IGP to State House Correspondents after the Police Council’s meeting, said the President also charged Baba to live up to the expectations of Nigerians.
The Police Council is made up of the President, the Vice President, governors, and ministers of Police Affairs, Interior and the Federal Capital Territory.
According to Dingyadi, “the meeting started with the usual presentation of tactics by the Inspector-General, which fortunately because of his track record, was unanimously confirmed.
“Mr. President used the opportunity to congratulate him on his appointment and called on him to ensure that he is worthy of the confidence reposed in him. He tasked him to rise to the challenge and ensure that the insecurity that the country is facing is brought to the barest minimum.
“The IG assured Mr. President and Nigerians that he is going to work assiduously to ensure that the responsibilities assigned to him are brought to bear and executed to the best of his abilities and to the satisfaction of all Nigerians”, he said.
Also speaking at the briefing, IGP Baba said he briefed the Council on the various and peculiar security crises facing the geopolitical zones.
“There are peculiarities, like I said before, in the Southeast and South-south is the issue of secessionist agenda, championed by IPOB; I also talked about terrorism and religious bigotry in the Northeast.
“I also talked about the issue of kidnapping, armed robbery, banditry and cultism as it affects the North Central and North West and South-West. I gave a synopsis in terms of what we are doing to address this situation.
I also thanked Mr. President for providing additional logistics in terms of carrying out our duties and responsibilities.
“In collaboration with other security agencies, we try to checkmate other forms of lawlessness, criminality and unlawful agitation in order to ensure lives and property are saved and at the same time allow Nigerian citizens to go about their lawful business.”
“What is seriously worrisome in the Southeast, but it is gradually being checked and results are positive as regards the attacks and killings of security agents and assets belonging to the federal government.
“Our ability to checkmate this lawlessness has improved and we are getting closer to something positive.
“We also acknowledge the fact that there are some things that have been done by the federal government to improve police operations, ranging from the establishment of the Police Trust Fund, signing into law of the 2020 Police Act and several other intervention funds, necessary technology and intelligence-led policing will be a reality,” he said.
