On the heels of the spate of violent attacks by terrorist groups on public and private institutions and places of worship, the Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Capt. Caleb Olubolade has directed the Nigeria Police to establish toll-free emergency telephone numbers to enable members of the public to supply information to security agencies at no cost.
On the heels of the spate of violent attacks by terrorist groups on public and private institutions and places of worship, the Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Capt. Caleb Olubolade has directed the Nigeria Police to establish toll-free emergency telephone numbers to enable members of the public to supply information to security agencies at no cost.
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The police are also to establish of Information/Suggestion Boxes in strategic locations nationwide to encourage members of the public who may either not have access to telephones, or do not want their numbers identified, to pass valuable information to the Police.
The Minister emphasized that it is people, not spirits, who are perpetrating the dastardly and evil acts against the nation and its people. To that end, members of the public owe a duty to themselves and the nation to be vigilant about those who live among them, and promptly report suspicious ones.
Capt. Olubolade said the Nigeria Police and other security agencies have highly capable and tested officers and men who can provide adequate security to Nigerians but reiterated the need for the people to be forthcoming with information to assist them. He pointed out that most of the tragic events that have rocked the country in recent times could have been prevented if the public had played its strategic role of providing information.
The Minister has also charged Nigerians to form more Police-Community Relations Committees within their communities to liaise with police formations to forge a synergy between them in the drive to exterminate those bent on fomenting evil deeds in the country.
An analyst who heard the suggestions of the Minister today said he approved of them, and described them as tools that are long overdue.
“The problem,” he told SaharaReporters, “is whether the police force itself will take seriously and swiftly information they receive. We know that they often ignore members of the public who call them for help. Will they take more seriously, hundreds or thousands of tips received in one day, or claim that they do not have the manpower and equipment? Will the Minister be sitting in his office claiming that he has done his best?”
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