Police officers to face sanctions over Boko Haram attacks on stations, says IG of Police

The acting Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, in Jos on Saturday warned that the Force would henceforth hold officers responsible for attacks on police formations in their domains.

Mr. Abubakar said this in an address at the graduation of Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACPs) to Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) Promotion Course in Jos.
He warned that the leadership of the Force would no longer tolerate officers running away from criminals.
“Of a particular worry is the increasing number of attacks on police stations. Similarly, it is a cause for concern the increasing number of police officers killed in the line of duty.
“You can’t afford to run away when there’s trouble. Post sufficient men around your stations and when there’s problem, face it squarely, you don’t run away. Then, the enemy will think twice before attacking you.
“The Force will no longer tolerate this development. You are hereby charged to effectively marshal your resources to bring crime down to tolerable level and muster your men to provide adequate security for police stations and barracks.
“As effective managers, you are to immediately embark on musketry training and retraining for the ranks. This is in addition to other confidence building measures such as riot drill.”
Mr. Abubakar, who was represented by the DIG “E” Department, Abdulrahman Akano, said that his goal was to make officers and men of the Force “more competent, more confident and more efficient” in the art of modern policing.
According to him, the attendance of the ACPs to DCPs course is in line with the police reform programme which tied promotion from constable to DCP to the successful completion of certain courses.
He expressed regret that the exploitation of the dividends of democracy had made many Nigerians to overstretch their “new found rights” to the point of constituting threats to national security.
“We are witnesses to series of agitations by militant groups, religious bigots and ethnic nationalities; added to these is a phenomenal rise in violent crimes, kidnappings and bombings.”
The Police chief pointed out that the climate, direction and methods of policing were rapidly changing, and challenged officers and men to change with the new trends by being mentally and professionally prepared to effectively police the nation.
He said that his vision was to make Nigeria safer and more secure for economic development and growth, to create a safe and secure environment for all law-abiding people.
The IG pledged to partner with other security agencies and the public to reform national security as well as address root causes of crimes through investigation and punishment in a fair, just and professional manner.
The IG said that he had declared a state of emergency in training and made it a central focus under his leadership, as well as constituted eight committees to appraise the needed reforms in the Force.
Mr. Abubakar announced that about 20,000 officers, who were due for promotion, would be promoted, pointing out that he was collaborating with the Police Service Commission to ensure that promotions were released without undue delay.
Earlier, Commandant, Police Staff College, AIG John Morenike, expressed disgust at the current “total or near lack of confidence in the ability of Nigeria Police to contain contemporary security challenges particularly, the Boko Haram menace”.
Mr. Morenike thanked the IG for approving N15 million for the hotel accommodation of the participants, saying the ongoing massive renovation and construction works in the college would make successive participants comfortable.
The  ACP to DCP Promotion Course 2/2012 had 96 participants comprising 92 male and four female officers.