Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, on Friday assured Nigerians of improved security measures, stressing that crime rates are declining across the country.
This assurance is coming days before a planned nationwide protest against insecurity and food crisis on August 1, 2024.
Egbetokun spoke with newsmen at the State House, Abuja shortly after a routine security meeting with President Bola Tinubu where he presented security briefs and received commendation from the President.
According to him, President Tinubu charged the various security formations to improve their synergy in securing the country.
The IGP attributed the decline in crime rates nationwide to effective synergy and strategies implemented by security agencies vowing to sustain efforts to maintain the downward trend in crime rates.
His words: “It was a routine security meeting we had with Mr. President where we had the opportunity of giving him security briefs. We’ve been doing this regularly.
“Mr. President is happy with what we are doing, he’s satisfied with our reports and he has challenged us to continue to work together and improve our synergy.
“As the Inspector-General Police, I have the records of all reported crimes across the country and I can tell you that crime rate is declining in Nigeria. Records don’t lie, the records are there.
“So I can assure you that we’ll continue to do whatever we are doing to maintain the decline in the crime rate”, Egbetokun said.
Also speaking to reporters after the meeting, Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, assured Nigerians that the military is taking steps to restore full oil production, targeting 2.1 million barrels per day.
He warned criminals involved in infrastructure destruction and crude oil theft that their days are numbered, and the military will come after them.
The CDS emphasized the need for collective effort to achieve success, urging all stakeholders, including states and communities, to work together to restore full production.
He acknowledged the challenges faced by communities and assured that the President will address these issues to ensure uninterrupted oil production.
Musa stated that the President is aware of the concerns of communities affected by oil production and has vowed to address their grievances.
According to him: “Very well, as usual, you know Nigeria relies a lot on what we produce and his mandate, like we mentioned days back, is for us to restore full production. We are targeting 2.1 million barrels per day, which is achievable. So we’re taking steps to ensure that all that is required to be done is done.
“The President is fully aware of the cries and hues of the communities and he’s not going to let them down. The communities should rest assured that steps are going to be taken to address their grievances so that productions will continue.
“For the criminals, those ones that are hell bent on destroying our infrastructure, stealing our crude for whatever reason, the days are numbered. They should be rest assured that we’re coming after them.
“I want to assure Nigerians that we all need to put hands together to achieve this success. Nobody can do it alone. No single service, no single individual can do this, we all need to work together, including the states.
“We understand that communities are going through so much and the President is going to address those issues to ensure that we have full production”.
Also at the meeting were the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; Director-General of the Department of State Service (DSS) Yusuf Bichi; Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Rufa’i Abubakar; Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Kemi Nanna-Nandap, and others.
Deji Elumoye
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