- Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG), Zone 5, Rasheed Akintunde, is lamenting that only 20 percent of officers protect lives and properties in the country
- Akintunde says politicians and other big men have taken over the remaining officers of the force
- He wants some of these policemen redeployed to work with the remaining few taking care of Nigerians
The Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG), Zone 5, Rasheed Akintunde, says only 20 percent of policemen are engaged in protecting lives and ensuring peace in the country, the News Agency Nigeria (NAN) reports.
“The remaining 80 per cent are just busy providing personal security to some `prominent people’ on guard duties," Akintunde said on Thursday, February 8, while addressing officers and men of the police headquarters in Bayelsa, during his tour.
The police chief decried the situation where some prominent people in the society seek more than 30 policemen to protect them, while the bulk of work for the members of the force rest on protecting the masses.
READ ALSO: Killings: Buhari should have visited Benue - Suswam
“Every big man wants personal security, they want a number of policemen to come and secure them and their family members, instead of supporting the police to work and ensure a safer environment.
“Honourable members want police security, even reverend fathers, bishops now want police security, so the remaining 20 per cent police the whole country.
“If we can redistribute policemen from some government formations and deploy them to work on their core duty, it will yield positive result,’’ he lamented.
He however urged all the officers in the command to be on their toes and be committed to their duties just as he reminded them of the need to do their jobs with integrity and exhibit high level of professionalism in order to create good image for the force.
The commissioner of police in the state, Don Awunah, welcomed the AIG and promised to ensure that the officers and men of the command remained focus on their duty of protecting lives and maintaining law and order in the state.
PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigeria’s #1 new app
NAIJ.com earlier reported how the House of Representatives on Wednesday, February 7, ordered the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, to apologise to Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state while it ordered the removal of Moshood Jimoh, the force public relations officer.
Are Nigerian Policemen the worst in the world? - on NAIJ.com TV
Source: Naija.ng