The Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi said on Friday that the Federal Government has set in motion plans to revive CCTV Cameras across the country for the purpose of assisting the Nigerian Police and other security agencies in tackling crimes.
According to him plans are at an advanced stage with the Concessionaire ready to replace all broken and vandalized CCTV cameras already installed.
He said with CCTVs in place dealing with such crimes such as armed robbery, kidnapping, car snatching and house breaking among others, would be easier.
Dinyadi who disclosed this while at a media briefing to commemorate his one year in office noted that Auditors appointed by the federal government have gone round the country to check all the CCTV installations to see what needs to be done.
His words: “President Muhammadu Buhari is fully committed to resuscitating the abandoned CCTV Project to help tackle the security challenges everywhere. We have gotten a Concessionaire for the project. We have sent out auditors appointed by government to check all the installations across the country. Right now, I think it is 80 per cent completed.
“Very soon, an agreement will be signed with the Concessionaire whereby all the non-working and faulty CCTV installations will be changed or replaced. This is in line with our efforts to employ the use of technology to assist the Police combat criminality in the country”.
The Minister also disclosed that 10,000 Police Constables recruited on the directives of Mr. President have completed their training and have been posted across Police Commands noting that the plan is to recruit a total of 40,000 policemen by 2023.
Also speaking at the media briefing, Inspector General of Police, IGP Mohammed Abubakar Adamu disclosed that the various security challenges of banditry and kidnapping among others would go away with time noting that was how militancy, pipeline vandalism in the South as well as insurgency held sway at a time.
“What you should know is that conflicts take time to evolve and there are reasons for this. Factors create conflict and these factors build over time. As we address these factors, the conflicts naturally go away. In the past, it was militancy and pipeline vandalism in the South-South. With time, the government has tackled it.
“In the South West, it was armed robbery and this has been successfully curtailed. In the North, it is insurgency and Boko Haram at a time would come to the city and bomb but it is no longer the case. They have been so dealt with that they only operate from the fringes of Lake Chad as criminals.
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“As for the bandits, you recall that in the past, their epicentre was Zamfara state. But with concerted efforts the Police and other security agencies, Zamfara is relatively calm now.
“In Kaduna, Birnin Gwari was the epicentre of kidnapping. We went to their camps one by one neutralized them and destroyed all their camps. In Katsina State, the banditry attacks are mainly for criminal purposes and the rustling of animals. But they are being dealt with.
“Nevertheless, following Mr, President’s marching orders that we do everything to tackle these bandits, I led a team to Niger Republic to identify the routes and sources of arms supply and smuggling to bandits and the insurgents.
“We held meetings with our counterparts and agreed to conduct joint operations with the Nigerian Police to tackle these inflows of arms because it is also impacting negatively on them as well.”
On the over N13billion naira approved by the federal6 Government for the implementation of the community policing strategy to tackle criminality across the nation, the IGP said the idea of community policing is to take crime-fighting and policing to the community at the grassroots.
“We have inaugurated states advisory committees and local government advisory committees across the country. These involve traditional rulers, market women and men associations, students, civil servants, local unions and all stakeholders.
“The money is for the implementation of the programme. It is not a one year programme. We are going to carry out training of the community policing groups particularly at the local levels, provide equipment and other supports.
Commenting on the punishment that awaits offenders who fail to surrender prohibited arms in their possession as he has directed, IGP Adamu said, “If you are caught with an illegal or prohibited weapon, you will be arrested and will be prosecuted.
“Even if you are a recognized vigilante group or neighbourhood watch under whatever name, if you carry firearms that are not approved for you or recognized, you will be prosecuted.
The Vanguard
