Irked by the wave of terrorism and armed robbery attacks across the country, the Federal Government yesterday said it would soon procure helicopters for the 36 states police commands.
The government, which admitted that the times are tough, said it had, however, set up a Special Trust Fund to strengthen the aerial power of the police. President Goodluck Jonathan said this at the grand finale of the 2013 Police Week celebration in Abuja where he also launched seven new helicopters and 293 security vehicles for the force.
The Eagle Square and the entire Three Arms Zone was temporarily shut by eagle- eyed security operatives to forestall security breach. During the event, two police helicopters hovered round the Three Arms Zone even as most areas were restricted to human and vehicular traffic. Former Imo State Governor Ikedi Ohakim was kept waiting for six minutes outside the State Box by security operatives who stopped him from entering.
It took the intervention of a senior police officer for the security operatives to allow him enter. The National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), service chiefs and other dignitaries were already seated in the box awaiting the arrival of the President. President Jonathan, however, charged the police to emulate the military in developing an efficient maintenance culture for its facilities. He said that Nigerians still lagged behind in maintenance.
President Jonathan said: “As a nation, we are not too good at maintaining what we have but presently that aspect is changing.” The President frowned at a situation where armed robbers have been reported to hold a state hostage for several hours unchallenged, describing it as unacceptable. “This is quite a trying moment for this country in terms of security. We have challenges from the North to the South, East and West.
“The police must be wellequipped and kitted to protect us while on land, air or water. “My commitment is that every state command must have helicopters. This is why we set up a special fund. The idea that armed robbers would take over a state and operate for three hours unchallenged is unacceptable.
“We must invest in airpower for the Nigeria Police. “My vision is to create a robust and efficient Police Force well motivated to discharge their constitutional obligations without fear or favour.”
President Jonathan, who noted that a vibrant force was vital to societal peace, well-being and development, said it was normal for every society to demand a lot from the police. He also emphasized the need for training and retraining while urging the police to increase its response time during emergencies.
The President who also called for the observance of a minute silence for all slain police officers, said government would continue to assist the families they left behind. In demonstration of that, Jonathan conferred presidential awards on 15 police officers and men.
While conceding that the task of policing the country remained highly challenging, the president stated that every policeman and woman must also change with the tide. He tasked the police on maintaining human rights, stating that under his administration he would not condone all acts of rights violation.
He added that the government and Nigerians expect maximum discipline from the officers and men of the force. President Jonathan also urged policemen to be mindful of the rights of the ordinary citizens in carrying out their operations. He stressed the need for the police to avoid abuse of human rights but have regards for human dignity and sanctity of life in the course of their duties. “I will also charge the police that while doing their work, to be mindful of the rights of ordinary citizens because that is very sensitive.
“While policing us, you must know that the rights of the citizens of this country must be protected. “In that regard, respect, maximum discipline from officers and men of the Nigeria Police is required,” he said. Police Affairs minister, Caleb Olubolade, had in a remark described the police week as an opportunity to foster a cordial police-community relations. He also commended the president for upgrading the Police Academy in Wudil, Kano, to a degree-awarding institution.
Earlier, the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar pledged the commitment of the force to ridding the nation of all criminal elements. He said the police would remain professional and community-driven as well as civil to the citizens but potent enough to respond to any threat to internal security and national cohesion. According to him, the efficiency of the police rests on the extent to which the police can bond with the people “whom they are paid, trained and directed to serve and protect.”
He told the president that in spite of “our institutional inadequacies, we have continued to courageously display loyalty, courage and zeal as part of our inter-agency instrument towards confronting internal insurgency.
We celebrate the gallantry of our men who daily engage deadly armed robbery gangs, kidnapping syndicates, murderers, fraudsters, rapists, and other heinous criminals who target our children and youth community”. Abubakar added: “We also on this auspicious occasion pass a clear message to the criminal community that the wind of change is now blowing through the police; a cultural reorientation that is premised on adoption of international best policing practices is emerging, and the new Police Force will display team spirit, loyalty, zeal, courage, civility and renewed commitment towards confronting criminal elements”.
Meanwhile, the IGP yesterday explained how the growing wave of insecurity in the country has exerted tremendous pressure on security operatives, announcing that since he made public his mobile telephone line, he now receives an average of 500 to 1,000 calls per day.
Abubakar, who spoke at the commissioning of a police mini Hall of Fame inside the Force Headquarters building in Abuja, urged officers and men of the force not to be discouraged, saying the force has an efficient system of reward and sanctions. He added that the force has also concluded arrangements to establish a museum in order to allow for the preservation of some fond memories of the force. Olubolade, who commissioned the Hall, tasked Nigerians on providing regular support for the police.
He said: “The Police must be supported by the public and if we encourage them, they will serve us better.
“The public must give useful information to the police. The police can unravel any crime if the public would give useful information to the police. Any other information is a waste of time”. Olubolade also stated that the police must remain in the forefront of providing internal security for the nation, adding that the military can only come in when their support is needed. “The police must be at the forefront of internal security. It is only when they need support that the military can join them. This is how it is, and that is what they are doing,” he stated.
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