Easter Holiday: IGP orders watertight security, patrols around churches, recreational centers, others

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Baba, has ordered a watertight security patrol around motor parks, train stations, airports, worship centers, recreation centers, banks, and other financial institutions to ensure peaceful, crime-free Easter celebrations.

The IGP has also ordered State Commissioners of Police (CPs) and their supervising Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs) to ensure adequate deployment of police personnel, and operational assets to areas of security interest within their respective areas of responsibility (AoRs).

The IGP’s order contained in a statement signed by the Acting force Public Relations Officer Olumuyiwa Adejobi felicitated Nigerians, and the Christian community and urged them to continue to cooperate with the Nigeria Police and other security agencies by providing timely information that would help in the prevention and detection of crime.

The statement reads; “The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, psc(+), NPM, FDC, in his resolve to ensure crime-free Easter celebrations, has ordered intensive security patrols of all public spaces and critical national assets. Specifically, all State Commissioners of Police (CPs) and their supervising Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs) have been ordered to ensure adequate deployment of police personnel, and operational assets to areas of security interest within their respective areas of responsibility (AoRs).

The IGP equally ordered that supervising officers should ensure confidence-boosting, proactive, and high visibility patrols are carried out along the highways, motor parks, train stations, airports, worship centers, recreation centers, banks, and other financial institutions while taking adequate measures to provide a peaceful, crime-free, and enabling environment for religious, cultural and other socio-economic activities to thrive.

In addition, the Commissioners of Police and their supervising AIGs have been directed to ensure proper supervision of the men assigned for these assignments. They must be professional and courteous to law-abiding citizens but firm and ruthless to criminal elements who might want to take the advantage of the festive period to perpetuate their unholy acts.

To this effect, the IGP Monitoring Unit and X-Squad have been given marching orders to monitor and police activities of police officers policing the highways to ensure respect for the rights of citizens and operational conformity with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and Rules of Engagement (RoE) of the Force; the Complaint Response Unit, vis-à-vis Public Complaint Bureau, have equally been charged to respond swiftly to complaints received from the general public.

While felicitating with Nigerians, and the Christian community in particular, on the commemoration of the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the IGP appreciates the citizenry for their support and calls on them to continue to cooperate with the Nigeria Police and other security agencies by providing timely information that would help in the prevention and detection of crime.

Report From Molly Kilete, Abuja