By Joseph Edeh
The Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 7, Mr Godwin Nwobodo, has called on police personnel in Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command to be committed to duty.
Nwobodo made the call when he visited the command on Tuesday in Abuja, and charged the officers and men to rededicate themselves to the job, especially with the elections approaching.
“As we approach the elections, I want you to rededicate yourselves to duty. We should discharge our responsibilities accordingly and fairly,’’ he said.
According to him, the advice is important, especially with the Presidential, National Assembly, Governorship and House of Assembly elections at the corner.
Nwobodo warned the personnel against partisanship during the elections, saying that the force did not belong to any political party.
“I know that we, as a country, have a number of security challenges but the national elections are most important for now,’’ he stated.
The police boss urged officers and men of the command to continue to support the Commissioner of Police and his management team to provide needed leadership.
Earlier, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Bala Ciroma, had said that the command was in dire need of additional personnel and patrol vehicles.
He, however, said that in spite of the challenges, the command had intensified raids on criminal hideouts and black spots where illicit drugs were peddled in the territory.
Ciroma added that with additional vehicles and manpower, the command would increase its presence and fully curtail crimes in the area.
He disclosed that residents of FCT had leveraged on the command’s distress call numbers to expose criminals and their nefarious activities.
He stated that the command would continue to review its policing strategy to meet security expectations of residents.
The commissioner said the visit of the AIG would further boost the morale of the officers and men “and prepare them for the task ahead’’.
He disclosed that the command had trained its personnel on election security management ahead of the upcoming general elections.
“We are collaborating with non-governmental organisations to organise more of such trainings for our officers and men,’’ he said.
Ciroma also said that the command’s committee on election security had been meeting to ensure hitch-free elections in the territory.
The Zone Command comprises Niger and Kaduna states and the FCT. (NAN)