IG Admits Police Efforts Not Good Enough Containing Insecurity

•Alleges disgruntled politicians behind planned strike 

•Promotion of junior officers to be released today

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Usman  Baba, yesterday, admitted that  the police had done its best in securing the country but that their best was not good enough in the circumstances.

Baba, who spoke while fielding questions from journalists on the ongoing killings in the North Central and North West after inaugurating the newly constructed Police Area Command in Gwarimpa, Abuja, stated that the average policeman remained more endangered as they were killed on a daily basis.

“We are doing our best, our best is not enough. Everyone is synergising, the military is in, other security agencies are in. We are even more endangered. There is no day our men are not killed. We have been trying and we shall continue to try,” he said.

Also, at the Zone 7  Police Headquarters, Abuja, while commissioning the newly renovated police facility, the IG revealed that police high command had concluded  arrangements to release the promotion of rank and file, which had been stagnated, within the next 24 hours.

“The Nigeria Police Force was already working on the promotion of officers and men before the issue of strike action came up. By Thursday (today), all those who were last promoted in 2017 would get their promotion.

“We are processing promotions as at when due. I am assuring you that between today (Wednesday) and tomorrow (Thursday), I’m releasing the promotion of junior officers from the rank of sergeant, that is, police constable  to corporal, corporal to sergeant and sergeant to inspector,” he assured.

He said the moles behind the planned strike were identified and sanctioned.

According to him, “One of the things that I got disappointed about was when I heard the issue of police strike. I started seeing the grievances. I feel this government and the leadership of the Nigeria Police have done much to address almost all the issues that have been stated as problem.

“Throughout our intervention to see that this thing is not actualised, we were able to discover that policemen were not involved. Policemen were not involved seriously. Some that we were able to establish their involvement, we took proper action, proper discipline on them.

“We were able to arrest policemen, who were involved in advocating or sending those kinds of messages. In fact, we have been able to get the originator of the message. This is a policeman, who has about 40 Facebook pages, over 20 WhatsApp groups, and so forth.

“So, the moles in us, we have been able to get and discipline them. I am happy to discover that most of the policemen do not even know what they are talking about. If it is welfare, our welfare, salary increase has been done. It is remaining actualisation,” he stated.

While affirming that politicians and other disgruntled people were behind the failed strike action, he said,“So, it is a false assertion and my disappointment became not quite a disappointment. I now believe there are some mischief makers, who wanted to use police to extend their grievances, disgruntled politicians and so forth, to extend their mischievious activities to the government. Some of our policemen are being used. We have been able to discover and we have actually taken care of that,” he said.