The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, has urged officers and men of the Nigeria Police to embark on intelligence gathering in order to address the problem of kidnapping in Nigeria.
Baba gave the charge on Wednesday at an interactive session with the officers during his official visit to the Police Command in Ibadan, Oyo State.
According to him, the problem of kidnapping in Nigeria cannot be solved unless officers and men of the force embark on intelligence gathering.
He said nothing could be achieved without better intelligence gathering, adding that it was better to chase and look for kidnappers before they embarked on kidnapping.
“My point of reference in my agenda of policing is to employ intelligence mechanism,” Baba said.
He called on the officers to sustain investigations whenever a kidnapped victim was rescued, adding that better information could be obtained from the rescued victim, and would lead to the arrest of the kidnappers.
Baba also urged his personnel to regard other security agencies as partners in progress toward ensuring the protection of lives and property of the citizenry.
He said synergy and cooperation with other security agencies would help in curbing the activities of men of the underworld since everyone that has a role to play in crime-fighting needed to be supported.
“They will support you, you will support them; if we are working in synergy, we will be able to stamp out crimes, rather than working across purposes,” the police chief said.
Earlier, the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Ngozi Onadeko, said police has taken back their front seat in internal security after the END SARS protest, which according to her, had dampened the officers’ morale.
Onadeko said the command was able to reduce crime and criminality to the barest minimum in order to create a conducive environment for development in the state.
She called on the inspector-general of police to assist the command in the areas of manpower, arms, and ammunition, anti-riot equipment, among others.
The commissioner commended the police chief, Governor Seyi Makinde, and other stakeholders for their supports and cooperation.
Traditional rulers, religious leaders and members of the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) were in attendance at the interactive session.
