The Inspector-General of Police, Alkali Baba Usman, on Friday disclosed that no fewer than 10000 newly recruited police officers will be deployed to their locality before the conduct of the 2023 general elections.
He added that the newly recruited officers currently undergoing training will be posted to their local government areas to assist in maintaining law and order in their locality.
IGP Alkali made the disclosure at the commissioning ceremony of the newly-built Dandagoro divisional police headquarters Friday evening.
According to the police chief, the decision will make for effective policing of their LGAs, a terrain the newly recruited officers are expected to be well acquainted with.
While noting that frantic efforts are ongoing to address the shortage of manpower in the Nigeria police force, IGP Alkali blamed the controversy that ensued between the Police Service Commission (PSC) and the Nigeria Police Force for the failure to recruit last year.
However, he noted that no fewer than 20,000 police officers have been recruited thereafter and 10,000 among them had passed out already.
“We have passed out 10000 and 10000 are undergoing training and they will pass out, I’m sure before the election and everybody will be returned back to their local government to assist.
“We believe if we do that, we will have officers who have knowledge of their people, the nooks and crannies of their state and who knows the norms and culture of their people.
“It will be easy for them to police their environment. In addition we have also made efforts to open a window for the community policing where we are expecting every man and woman who have gainful means of livelihood to come and spend their time in policing their environment or their community together with the police in their locality.
This window is open and we are appealing to every man and woman to assist,” IGP Alkali noted.
Considering the level of crime rate experienced in Nigeria Northwest, Alkali said the government and security agencies have done a lot however he admitted that there is need for improvement, assuring that they will keep seeking ways and means of improving the situation.
In his remarks, the Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, while commending the IGP for assisting with equipments required for the state police command to function, reminded him of his
promise to repair some APCs which will be used in combating insecurity in Katsina State.
Masari assured that the IGP that his administration will continue to work and assist the police in the discharge of their duties, noting how they are sacrificing their lives on daily basis in order to secure the state.
The Katsina Governor also called on all individuals in the state to assist the police logically with credible information to fight bandits and their informants.
