President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Sunday Arase, to prune down the number of policemen attached to dignitaries, declaring that all policemen withdrawn from that role be redeployed to regular police duties.
The President also issued a stern warning to the IGP and the Police Service Commission, PSC that he would not tolerate extortion of money from unemployed Nigerians in the forth-coming Police recruitment.
The President who noted the practice as an emerging culture said that it was totally unacceptable to him.
Speaking during a meeting with officials of the Ministry of Police Affairs and the Police Service Commission in the Presidential Villa, President Buhari said that those in charge of recruitment and training in the Police must be above board and eschew every form of extortion and underhand dealing.
“You must ensure that the recruitment process is transparent. Those who will conduct the recruitment must be above board. It should not be heard that they receive gratification or extort money from those who want to enlist in the police,” he cautioned.
The President who noted with concern the stagnation of policemen on a particular rank for many years instructed the Police Service Commission to review the current structure of the police, and make recommendations on how the problem can be solved to boost the morale of serving policemen.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Police Affairs, Dr James Obiegbu while briefing President Buhari on the activities of the President enumerated some challenges facing the Police.
According to him, the challenges included inadequate police personnel, dwindling finances and non-rehabilitation of police training schools.
Similarly, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Mr. Mike Okiro who expressed gratitude to the president for giving approval for the recruitment of 10,000 police officers said that the country needed to have more than the 305,579 policemen and women to effectively secure the country.
