The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, has said that the Nigeria Police will soon begin the recruitment of 20,000 junior officers across the country.
The IGP made the disclosure during a working visit to Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State in Ibadan, the state capital, on Tuesday.
Baba said that the Nigeria Police had the intention to boost its strength through the recruitment of junior police officers, explaining that it had overcome the challenges hindering its commencement.
The IGP, who said that President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the recruitment, said that all the local government council areas in the country would feel the impact of the exercise.
According to him, the recruited officers would serve in their respective local government council areas after training. The IGP added that the recruitment exercise would not only expand the capacity of the force in combating crime, but also emboldened its community policing strategy.
Baba said that his working visit was to interact with the police personnel in a bid to boost their morale after the #EndSARS protest.
He said that the visit was to also engage some other stakeholders on the issue of community policing, which, according to him, is an adopted strategy policing in Nigeria.
“We have not just started now; it had started as far back as 2004, but not effectively used by both government and members of the public.”
He urged the governor to continue to support the police in the effort to stem crime and criminality in the society.
Makinde told the IGP that the Police Command in Oyo State had been cooperating with the people and other security agencies in the state.
He noted that the police became hostile since the creation of Amotekun, “because they felt that Amotekun came to take up their jobs and responsibilities.
“Over these few months, with the leadership of the police in the state, we have cooperation and the inter-agency rivalry has been reduced to the barest in the state.
“We also know that this is a challenging period for the country. Resources are dwindling, but we have challenges all over, especially the insurgency in the North-East, banditry in the North-West, kidnapping in the South and ethnic tension everywhere.
“So, we have to keep supporting the efforts of the Nigeria Police.”
He seized the opportunity to request for the establishment of another Mobile Force Squadron in Oyo town, promising that his government would provide the basic infrastructure for its take-off.
According to him, the 72 Squadron in Ago-Are, which was approved by the former IGP, helps in addressing security challenges in Oke-Ogun axis of the state.
BY AKINWALE ABOLUWADE, IBADAN
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