The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Ibrahim Idris, has described the rising cases of abduction of police operatives as embarrassing, threatening that Commissioners of Police, CPs, would henceforth be held “vicariously” liable for the kidnapping of officers in their Command.
While observing that so many police officers have been abducted and killed in several states in recent time, he charged Divisional Police Officers, DPOs, and others to protect themselves against being whisked away like “fowls”.
Idris spoke on Wednesday at the monthly Commissioners of Police, CPs, conference, which for the first time took place outside the Force Headquarters but in Abuja.
According to him: “CPs should impress it on DPOs to deploy their men to flashpoints. Kidnapping of police officers is becoming an embarrassment; you cannot move anyhow as an officer.
“Police officers should be careful about their personal safety and movements. CPs will be vicariously liable for any officer kidnapped in his command like fowls. Be very serious on the protection of DPOs and heads of formations in their commands.”
He however maintained that, “an officer should be able to make a proper assessment of security situations” around his area of responsibility.
The IGP, who also expressed support for the recently-passed anti-kidnapping bill by the National Assembly, disclosed that about 3,000 suspected kidnappers had been arrested across the country.
While commending officers for what he said was the reduction in crime rate, he said: “Between 2,000 and 3,000 suspects have been arrested in connection with kidnapping across the country.”
Idris reiterated his order for the issue of illegal deployment of police special units, especially Police Mobile Force, PMF, to be taken seriously, and urged state command bosses to undertake physical assessments of deployment, for purposes of compliance with the Police Act and other relevant laws.
“All CP commands must address the issue of illegal deployment of special units; conduct physical assessment of deployment of special units, PMF, to ensure that all those special units deployed, which is not in consonance with the Force, should stop forthwith.
“We are going to have absolute control of our men, who we deploy. Anywhere you observe, as a CP, that the PMF personnel were deployed illegally, it is your responsibility to act,” he declared.