The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has warned that the Nigerian Police Force will no longer tolerate any act of assault or killing of officers by criminal-minded individuals.
The IGP gave the warning on Friday in Enugu during his first official working visit to the headquarters of the Enugu State Police Command, ahead of President Bola Tinubu’s one-day state visit to the state during which President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will inaugurate some of the projects executed by Governor Peter Mbah.
Egbetokun, who commended the efforts of Mbah’s administration in the security of lives and property as well as the overall development of the state, listed the projects to be inaugurated by the President to include the ultra-modern Command and Control Centre as well as 150 patrol vehicles fitted with AI-embedded cameras for the Distress Response Squad, a special police unit set up by the administration in collaboration with the Nigeria Police.
This was as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police operatives from the Durumi Division, uncovered an abandoned Toyota Prado Land Cruiser Jeep along David Ejoor Street, opposite Adisa Estate, Apo-Gudu, while on routine patrol.
In his address, the IGP said it was criminal and an offence against the government for any individual or group of individuals to assault or kill officers of the force, adding however, that officers are charged to respect the rights of the citizens.
“Anywhere a police officer is killed, there will be appropriate response from the police, moving forward,” he said. “We are saying no to assault of our officers and killing of our men,” adding, “We will not tolerate it again.”
Apart from assuring that the federal government will provide officers of the command with every necessary resources needed to stamp out criminality in the society, the IGP noted that in addition to providing adequate resources, the force remains committed to pursuing policing reforms and ensuring that officers maintain professionalism and ethical conduct in the discharge of their duties.
“We will ensure that we train and retrain you and also equip you with modern policing tools to discharge their duty to the highest standards,” he said.
The IGP assured officers that the federal government, under the current administration, was passionate about their welfare and is working to improve it in recognition of their sacrifices of protecting lives and property of citizens.
“I want to start by expressing our profound appreciation to the Governor of Enugu State for the support that you have given to the Nigeria Police Force in our quest to provide and ensure Peace and Security in Enugu State. Your commitment to our shared goal of a safer Nigeria is truly commendable.
“You are doing great things in Enugu State. The report I have been getting in Enugu has been truly good. I am very happy and glad to hear the force of work you are doing in the state to ensure that the people of Enugu State enjoy the dividends of democracy.
“Importantly, I congratulate you on your giant strides in the area of security and in other areas. I am pleased to note that the collaboration between the Nigeria Police and Enugu State Government has continued to yield excellent results; and we are determined to build on this success.
“In this year 2025, I want to let you know that we are committed to pursuing our policing vision more vigorously. We will prioritise community engagement. We will prioritise professionalism and emphasise ethical conduct of our officers.
“I am very confident that with your support we are going to overcome all the challenges that we are facing presently and ensure that Nigeria becomes safer for all of us,” Egbetokun said.
Speaking, Governor Mbah thanked the IGP for the strong support given to his administration to fight crime and secure lives and property.
“We cannot thank you enough for the interest you have shown and continued to show in the security matters of Enugu State. You may not have been here before now, but from the outset, we have felt your presence here because you have provided us with all the support, both material and human, that we need to fight the challenges of insecurity to a standstill.
“We had a meeting on how to address the security challenges in Enugu and without sparing any time, you provided us with all the support to ensure we have special forces here. You provided us with the equipment.
“This is very important to us because the plan we have to grow our economy from $4.4 billion to $30 billion could only happen with security in place. Businesses can deal with financial risk and commercial risk, but cannot deal with security risks; which is why we thought that for that growth to materialise, we will provide security. So, you have been a very strong pillar of support to the government,” he stated.
In announcing President Tinubu’s State visit to Enugu on Saturday, Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said, “The Enugu State Government is happy to announce the first state visit to the state by the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, Saturday, January 4, 2025.
“The President will during the visit commission some of the numerous projects executed by our administration, such as the 30 completed and equipped Enugu Smart Green Schools out of 260 under construction across the 260 wards in the state, 60 completed and equipped Type 2 Primary Healthcare Centres out of the 260 under construction across the 260 wards in the state, the completed multi-auditorium and multi-functional Enugu International Conference Centre, 90 completed urban roads in Enugu City, state-of-the-art Command and Control Centre as well as 150 patrol vehicles fitted with AI-embedded surveillance cameras.”
Meanwhile, a statement by Police Public Relations Officer, FCT Command, SP Josephine Adeh, said that the stolen vehicle was found without a registration number.
She said that a thorough inspection of the vehicle was conducted, and the following items were recovered from inside: “One silver-coloured eagle insignia
Some video/audio cables, and one car stereo remote.”
The Spokesperson averred that further investigations revealed that the sticker showing the engine and chassis numbers near the driver’s door was also removed, and the windscreen appeared to have been recently replaced.
She stated that the vehicle has since been towed to the FCT Police Command Headquarters in Garki II.
The Command, however, called on members of the public who may have cases of missing vehicles matching the description of the recovered Toyota Prado Jeep to visit the FCT Command for verification and possible recovery.
“The FCT Police Command remains resolute in its mission to protect lives and property across the Federal Capital Territory,” she said.
Gideon Arinze and Linus Aleke
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