The Minister of
Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has appealed to the police
to provide more security for vulnerable places across the country in
order to prevent attacks
on such places by Boko Haram insurgents.
on such places by Boko Haram insurgents.
The Minister made the
appeal when he paid a courtesy visit to the Inspector-General of
Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, in his office in Abuja on Tuesday.
''As we have told
Nigerians on many occasions, our military has decimated Boko Haram and
uprooted them from the territories they once controlled. What the
terrorists are now engaged
in are attacks on soft targets, by which I mean highly-vulnerable places like markets, motor parks, as well as worship and entertainment centres, etc.
in are attacks on soft targets, by which I mean highly-vulnerable places like markets, motor parks, as well as worship and entertainment centres, etc.
''Herein lies the
important task of the police, the body statutorily given the role of
maintaining law and order. The police, leveraging its large network, its
investigative capacity and the fact that its personnel reside largely
among the people, are now required to step in to protect these
vulnerable places. This they can do by working with transport workers,
market women, local government councils and police public community
relations councils, faith-based organizations, community development
councils and other necessary stakeholders,'' he said.
Alhaji Mohammed
specifically urged the police to provide 24-hour, cost-free protection
for the premises of broadcasting establishments.
''May I also use the
opportunity of this visit to formally convey to the Inspector-General
the message from the Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria (BON), when I
met with their members last week in Abuja. They asked me to implore the
Inspector-General to provide 24-hour police protection, at no extra
cost, for the premises of their organizations. I am hereby presenting
and endorsing their demand,'' he said
The Minister hinged
his endorsement of the request by the BON members on the fact that they
have agreed to partner with the Federal Government in its National
Security Awareness Campaign, an inter-agency campaign being spearheaded
by the Ministry of Information and Culture.
He said their
collaboration with the Federal Government in this important campaign
could ''make them more vulnerable to possible attacks and aggravate the
already tough conditions under which they operate''.
In his response, the
Inspector-General said the visit was an opportunity for the police to
draw from the vast and fertile experience of the Minister within the
national space to enrich policing in Nigeria.
"In this regard, it
is particularly appreciated that the Hon. Minister could deploy the
broad network of his ministry to support the leadership of the Nigeria
Police in advancing the concept of police-community partnership and to
aid in enlightening the general public down to the grass roots on their
civic responsibilities in relation to national security and crime
prevention," he said.
Mr. Arase disclosed
that with the support of President Buhari, the police leadership had
commenced projects aimed at enhancing the technical intelligence
capacity of the Force, with a view to strengthening their operational
competence and managing highly-organized crimes, including terrorism and
other crimes of national security.
He pledged to partner
with Federal Ministry of Information and Culture in the public
sensitization against terrorism, and said the police high command would
fashion out the modality for the immediate deployment of policemen to
provide adequate security for media houses across the country.
Segun Adeyemi
SA to Hon Minister of Information and Culture
SA to Hon Minister of Information and Culture
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