Nigeria: Delta and Imo States Following Attacks on Police Officers
By Zuleihat Owuiye, Mamos Nigeria
Solomon Arase, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, has expressed concern over the competence of the Commissioners of Police in Delta and Imo states in light of the recent attacks on police officers across the country. Arase condemned the attacks and emphasized that the slain officers were also Nigerian citizens who deserve support, encouragement, and protection.
The Nigeria Police Force reported on Saturday that six officers were killed in an ambush in Delta State by armed assailants. The officers were in Delta in connection with the disappearance of their colleagues in the Ohoro Forest. Additionally, there was another attack on police operatives from MOPOL 18 in Owerri, Imo State, where two operatives were killed by gunmen in the Okigwe area of the state. The gunmen threw dynamite at the police patrol vehicle and engaged in a gunfight with the officers along old Gariki Road.
Arase called on the Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, to reassess the capacity of state command leadership in the country. He emphasized the need for consequences for such incidents and suggested that any Commissioner of Police found to be incompetent or operationally porous should be replaced to prevent further casualties among the police force.
The Chairman of the Police Service Commission expressed condolences to the families of the slain officers and urged state command commissioners to rise to the occasion. He encouraged serving officers not to be demotivated by these attacks but to display the indomitable fighting spirit that the Force is known for to counter this new wave of assaults.
Arase also called for integrated intelligence policing and emphasized the importance of all stakeholders working together to rid the nation of militancy and banditry.
The Police Service Commission will continue to monitor the situation and advocate for improved security measures to protect police officers and maintain law and order in the country.
