…Bans them from taking over command’s criminal investigations
Following what he described as incessant complaints of harassment and operating-beyond briefs over cases of investigations, Acting Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, has ordered the immediate disbandment of the IGP Monitoring Satellite offices in Lagos and Port Harcourt.
Speaking at his inaugural conference with strategic commanders of the Nigerian Police Force, including commissioners from the 36 states of the federation and FCT as well as Zonal AIGs, the IGP said the IGP monitoring unit as a whole would be re-organized.
He said: “In furtherance to our Force reorganization plans as well as our commitment to return to the basics in policing, I have directed the immediate reform of the IGP monitoring unit.
“This involves the disbandment of the satellite offices of the unit in Lagos and Port Harcourt, the streamlining of the personnel profile of the unit at Force headquarters to not more than 50 operatives and banning of the unit from undertaking criminal investigations, including taking over cases from commands.
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“Under the current dispensation, the unit will only operate within its original mandate, which is to investigate complaints of professional infractions that may be alleged against any serving officer and case may be referred to them by my office.
“Similarly, repositioning initiatives are being worked out in relation to other ad hoc investigation units in the Force.
‘’This is with a view to restoring professionalism, address citizens’ concerns on rights abuses, resulting from the existence and operations of these ad hoc Police investigations units and to discourage duplication of Police functions in a manner that encourages indiscipline and abuse of Police process.’’
On insecurity, the Acting IGP said: “I must emphasize that the major task ahead of us is to address the threats of secessionists, banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery and sundry-violent crimes in the shortest possible time and return our beloved nation to the path of peace, unity and national security.
“The recent pattern and trend of crimes which clearly indicate an increasing threats to Internal security by terror elements – bandits, kidnappers, armed robbery syndicates and arms traffickers – constitute major challenges to nation and to the Nigerian Police.
“This trend is being compounded by a growing separatists agenda which has assumed an-armed dimension in which personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, military and other security agencies ate being constantly targeted in clearly well-coordinated, pre-meditated violent attacks in the South East geo-political zone.
“As the lead agency in internal security, the task of rolling back this unacceptable security tide rests primarily-with us, hence, there is no better time for us to re-order our-policing vision, re-evaluate our-strategies, close the trust gap between us and the citizens and re-position the Police institution, with a view to re-energising our crime fighting orientation than now.’’
