Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Usman Alkali yesterday raised the alarm over a plot by criminal elements to attack public institutions and structures across the country.
He ordered tight security surveillance on schools, hospitals, health facilities and other critical infrastructures to forestall any emergency.
The IG also ordered regular patrols, stop and search, raids and show of force by tactical commanders to clamp down on pockets of crime in some states.
Emphasising the urgency and importance of the new security measures, Alkali charged police officers to exhibit courage and serve with compassion in line with the policing theme of the Buhari Administration.
He said policemen should be on the offensive, adding that they should take the battle to the doorsteps of criminals.
For some years now, the country has been battling with insurgency perpetrated by the Boko Haram sect, ISWAP and other terrorist groups.
Terrorists have been on the prowl, invading schools and abducting students for ransom.
Almost five months ago, a train was attacked on Abuja-Kaduna Road. Not all the abducted passengers have regained their freedom.
Apart from the invasion of correctional centres to free inmates, insurgents have also attacked the Brigade of Guards in Abuja, killing some officers.
In the Southeast, criminals have disrupted socio-economic activities while illegally enforcing sit-at-home, attacking police stations and destroying Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) facilities.
Alkali gave the directive on increased surveillance when reviewing the general security situation, following reports from commands and formations across the country.
The police boss directed strategic police managers at various levels to prioritise the use of intelligence gathering networks, particularly traditional/local intelligence, to locate criminal hideouts and flush them out before they strike.
According to a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the IG also charged all officers and men to be on the offensive by taking the fight against crime to the doorposts of suspected criminal elements, including bushes and uncompleted buildings. He said policemen should profile them and charge those found wanting to court.
He said: “Against the backdrop of this development, Nigerians are hereby urged to cooperate with the Police as many police operatives will be seen at strategic areas, routes and communities, in order to suppress the antics and criminal activities of men of the underworld.
“The IG has, however, warned officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force to be civil, professional and humane in the course of discharging their duties.
“The IG has, therefore, reiterated his commitment to the protection of lives and property of well-meaning members of the public by decimating the activities of rogue criminal elements, particularly those who target schools, hospitals, and other critical national infrastructure, in a bid to strike fear into the hearts of good citizens in the country.”
(THE NATION)
