John Amadi, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) representing the South-East geo-political zone has blamed Nigerian police personnel for causing their own deaths during encounters with non-state actors and criminals.
The DIG who stated this during a press conference ahead of Saturday’s election in Anambra, condemned the manner in which many officers handle their weapons, particularly when sent out for assignments.
Amadi, therefore, urged all the police commissioners in the region to educate their men to always be ready for any eventuality during Saturday’s poll.
He said, “Make sure the men do exactly what we ask them to do. Make sure the men are at alert at any point in time.
“Because the reason why we are losing men is because of our complacency. Most people carry their rifles and just hang it on their shoulders as if they are patrolling their compound.
“They do not know that they are on the battlefield. So go and tell them that at any point in time we send them out, it is a battlefield and anybody in the war front knows that it is a 50\50 something. Kill or get killed. When you have that in your mind, you will make sure that you are not caught unawares.”
Meanwhile, according to SBMorgen Intelligence, a research firm, between January 7, 2015 and March 22, 2021, covering about 75 months, at least 497 police personnel were killed in 554 incidents nationwide.
It also said no fewer than 1,175 civilians were killed in different attacks in the country.
The group, which based its data on reported incidents, said its findings were corroborated by at least two different media sources across the six geopolitical zones in the country.
The figures arguably underscored the high level of insecurity in Nigeria in recent years.