AIG seeks measures to curb suicides among police officers

Women barricade highway over alleged attacks on farmers
Worried about the increasing incidence of suicide among officers nationwide, the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Zone 5, Benin City, Edo State, Mr. Abubakar Mohammed, says measures must be put in place to arrest the ugly trend.

During an interactive session with the rank and file of the Bayelsa State command yesterday in Yenagoa, he noted that available statistics showed that more cops had taken their lives in recent times.

Prior to the briefing, the entourage of the AIG was held up for several hours at the Delta State end of the East-West Road by protesting women.

The protesters, whose activities have impacted largely on traffic flow on the federal highway since Wednesday, are venting their spleen over alleged attacks on some farmers in neighbouring communities by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

Although the former Director at the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) office in Lyon, France did not advance reasons for the menace, he, however, enjoined senior officers to begin to relate closely with their subordinates to reduce the number of such deaths.

“The IGP has asked us to now go close to our officers as well as the rank and file to know what their problems are because the level of suicide within the police is getting higher. Police officers are killing themselves without us knowing what their problems are.

“If you have family problems or in the office, it is very important to talk to your senior officer who will try to help you. I do not know why it is increasing. Whether it is because of family problems. But if you have any issues bothering you, talk to your immediate senior officers who will approach a more senior one to resolve it,” Mohammed counseled.

He warned officers and men of the zone, which covers, Edo, Delta and Bayelsa states, against divulging sources of information in order to build confidence between the force and the public.