Police lament violent killing of 128 officers

One hundred and twenty-eight officers died in the line of duty in the past three months, the police high command has revealed.

It also justified the massive deployment of personnel for this weekend’s governorship election in Ondo State.

A statement yesterday in Abuja by the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Don Awunah, said the leadership of the force had resolved that “these line of duty resultant deaths, occasioned by unwarranted attacks by religious bigots, bandits, hoodlums and militants must be reversed.”

Awunah noted that the destruction of police assets and public property during riots was disturbing. He noted particularly the “recent cases in Dankamoji village in Maradu Local Council of Zamfara State; Abagana in Anambra State and Okrika waterways in Rivers State where personnel were killed, arms carted away, structures and equipment destroyed as cases in point.”

He gave the breakdown of the additional 26,000 officers to include 2,000 personnel of the Mobile Police Force, 10 cells of counter terrorism units, a special protection unit, the anti-bomb squad (EOD) among others.