*IGP vows to supervise violence-free election
The police under the watch of IGP Usman Baba Alkali, has arrested 4,209 murder suspects and 2,178 alleged kidnappers, statistics made available by the force headquarters has revealed.
According to the data contained in the event brochure of the Conference and Retreat for senior officers holding in Owerri, 3,503 cultists had been arrested across the country, while 4,282 armed robbery suspects were nabbed.
The retreat packaged by Matchmakers International Consult was tagged “Imperative of a Nigeria Police Strategic Plan for Peaceful Elections”.
In the period under review, IGP Alkali-led police has also arrested 639 terrorists while 380 suspected sesessionists were arrested by policemen in the country.
Firearms recovered by detectives countrywide is 2,921, with 58,431 ammunition.
995 stolen vehicles were recovered, with 2,996 kidnapped victims rescued unhurt.
The police report also disclosed that 76,195 suspects were charged to court nationwide, with 16,463 offenders convicted.
In his speech at the opening ceremony of the police retreat, President Muhammadu Buhari noted that he was committed to his pledge at United Nation’s General Assembly to ensure a peaceful and credible election in 2023.
The Nigerian Leader who touched down at the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport Owerri, at around 1.30.pm, was received by the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma and the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali.
The IGP also reiterated the commitment of the police towards ensuring an election free of violence and thuggery.
According to Alkali, “The importance of the gathering to the nation lies in the fact that the outcome will be critical to peace and security of our democratic process. This is to the extent that we will engage in a detailed evaluation of all issues relating to the security dynamics of the 2023 General Elections. The importance of this agenda underscores our choice of the Theme of the Conference which is – ‘The Imperative of a Nigeria Police Strategic Plan for Peaceful Elections’.
“In this regard, Your Excellency, during the Conference and Retreat, we shall critically and professionally review the pattern and trend of crimes and undertake a detailed security risk assessment with a view to identifying specific trends that could threaten the security and peaceful conduct of the General Elections.
“We intend to draw on the outcome of these initiatives to perfect our Election Security Strategy and Action Plans towards stabilizing the security and political landscape in a manner that will strengthen citizens’ confidence in the electoral process and produce a credible electoral outcome in the 2023 General Elections.
“In aid of this process, I can assure Your Excellency that the Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) has undertaken a comprehensive 2023 General Elections Threat Analysis which highlights and geolocated possible threats across all 774 Local Government Areas of the Federation. This Report will be utilized to guide our appreciation of the security space as we finetune our Election Security Action Plan.
Present at the event were Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, INEC Chairman, who was represented by Maj. General Alkali Modibo (Rtd.) and police management team.