IG summons stakeholders’ security summit on kidnapping

Says inadequate personnel, poor funding hinder effective policing
The Inspector-General (IG) of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has said the panacea to the seeming inexorable menace of kidnapping and other criminalities in the country would emerge at the upcoming national security summit in Abuja.

Also, he lamented that paucity of funds and inadequate personnel have greatly hindered the fight against crimes.

Idris made this known yesterday in Abuja while answering questions at a conference with zonal commanders and commissioners of police (CPs).

He said that the police alone could not redeem the situation effectively, but it would take a collective resolve to involve the entire community, the people, as security is everybody’s business.

The IG said the kidnapping menace is worrisome, thereby necessitating the summit that would cover all sectors in the Nigerian community, emirs, obas, religious leaders, community leaders so that we can sit down and address this issue of kidnapping and find lasting solutions to it.

The police boss, who lamented that the ratio of one policeman to 400 Nigerians has greatly hindered the effective execution of their duties in the country, noted that the recruitment of 10,000 personnel by the current administration after more than six years since the last exercise was carried out, is a plus. He said that if the exercise is sustained, it would go a long way in strengthening policing in the country.

He said increased funding for the police to ensure enhanced service delivery is apt at this time, as the basic paraphernalia of operations would be procured as well as improve manpower development.