JUST IN: Police officers undergo 4-weeks Training to enhance operational excellence

In a move to enhance operational excellence in Imo and the country at large, 500 police personnel on Wednesday, began a four-week capacity-building training in Owerri.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Aboki Danjuma, declared the training open at the MOPOL Headquarters 18, at Ogbakwu near Owerri.
Danjuma said the capacity building was at the instance and directive of the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun.
He reiterated the command’s commitment to the continuous training and development of its personnel to ensure optimal service delivery and heightened security in the state.
“You are here for weapons handling, ambush and counter-ambush, stop and search, stripling and assembling of weapons, among other police mobile force trainings.
“Although, the rate of crime is going down, the moment you finish, you will be deployed to the forests and other criminal hideouts,” he said.
Danjuma said the command changed its strategy by taking the fight against crime to the criminals in the forests and hideouts.
“We are now carrying the fight to them in the forest. Even though we have dismantled most of their hideouts in the forests, we will still deal with the remnants.
“Also, we are having clearance operations going on in Njaba and Orsu areas of the state where we have recorded huge successes.
“So many of the insurgents have been dismantled, arrested and weapons seized,” he noted.
Danjuma said peace had returned to the three Local Government Areas under siege by insurgents in the state.
He also said the crippling sit-at-home directive, which had brought economic and social activities to a halt, had finally been lifted, paving the way for normalcy to return to the state.
He charged the officers, selected from every division, area commands and tactical teams across the state, to know when to justify the use of their fire arms.
“The fire arms are not to be used on innocent citizens but to defend the innocent citizens,” he stressed.
The police chief equally urged them to use the knowledge gained from the training in the discharge of their duties, to protect lives and property, and to maintain law and order in the society.
He commended the state governor, Sen. Hope Uzodimma, for supporting the command with logistics for their operations and the training.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the training is “Enhancing Operational Excellence for Effective Threat Response and Community Safety”. (NAN)

You must account for missing 3,907 rifles to facilitate passage of your Budget–Senator tells NPF, IGP

The Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Peter Nwaebonyi, has called on the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to account for 3,907 missing firearms before any further steps are taken towards approving the national budget.

In an appearance on Channels Television’s ‘Sunrise Daily’ programme on Wednesday, Nwaebonyi, a Senator representing Ebonyi North, emphasized the crucial role that the police’s accountability plays in enabling lawmakers to craft a well-informed and responsible budget.

The committee’s demand follows an earlier query directed at the NPF over the firearms’ mysterious disappearance, which was first revealed in the 2019 audit report from the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.

The Senate Committee on Public Accounts had grilled the NPF on Tuesday, raising concerns about the missing weapons. In response, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun had appointed Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) Suleiman Abdul to represent the police in the inquiry.

However, senators found Abdul’s explanations to be unsatisfactory, rejecting his responses as inadequate and declining a proposed executive session for further discussions.

As a result, the committee has demanded the police leadership return to answer further questions on January 17.

Nwaebonyi stressed that accountability in the NPF’s handling of these firearms is not just a matter of national security but also essential for transparent and effective budget planning.

Without a clear understanding of the police’s operations and resource management, he argued, lawmakers would be unable to appropriately allocate funds in the national budget.

“What we are considering is the report from the office of the Auditor General of the Federation from 2019 till date,” the lawmaker said.

“He gave us an insight of what they had as at 2018 but what is before us is the report from 2019 till date and in that report, 3,907 firearms mainly AK-47 is missing within the Nigeria Police Force and that is what we are discussing.
“When we probed further as to the whereabout of these firearms, we discovered that some were lost as a result of death of the officers that were holding them. These people paid the supreme price, and we should honour them as a nation.

“However, over 99 per cent is unaccounted for. That is why we asked the AIG whose is representing the IG to go and come back and give us facts on this, because all we need to know is to give account as to the whereabout of these firearms.

“We need this information because it will guide us in making our budgets, because if the Nigerian police is losing such number of arms, it is important that they (should) be supported to replace the firearms, but the accounts of the missing ones must be given.”

Gunrunner reveals how much he was offered to smuggle ammunition

Yusuf Adam, a suspected gunrunner, has admitted to receiving N50,000 to transport ammunition from Jos to Abuja following his capture by Plateau State Police Command officials.

Yusuf was arrested in relation to the illegal trafficking of firearms and ammunition, along with three other accomplices. During the operation, the police also retrieved N300,000 from the suspects.

In his parade at the Jos police headquarters on Tuesday, Yusuf disclosed that despite his first request for a larger reward because of the smuggling operation’s high risk, his sponsor turned him down.

Ultimately, he agreed to transport the ammunition for N50,000.

“I am from Abuja. Two weeks ago, a man whom we know each other sent me to collect the ammunition and bring it to him. He has given me the contact of those to collect the ammunition in Jos. I asked him if he is a security agent but told me that I should not bother. The man assured me that I am not going to be in trouble.

“But in the process of collecting the ammunition, the security operatives, arrested me alongside three others,” Yusuf said.

While parading the suspects, Plateau State Commissioner of Police (CP), Emmanuel Adeshina, explained that the arrests were made following credible intelligence regarding the movement of gunrunners. He emphasized that all the suspects would be formally charged once investigations were complete.

The CP also expressed gratitude for the public’s cooperation in addressing security challenges in the state, urging residents to continue providing the police with vital information to combat crime in their communities.