ABUJA – The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, has deployed additional five units of Police Mobile Force ( PMF), Police Special Forces, Police Aerial Surveillance Helicopters and Special Police Joint Intelligence and Investigation teams to Benue and Rivers.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that gunmen on New Year day attacked and killed 50 persons in Logo and Guma Local Government Areas of Benue.
NAN also reports that barely four days after the killng of 17 persons on New Year eve, five persons were also killed in Egbeda, a community in Emohua Local Government Area of the state by gunmen.
A statement by the Force spokesman, CSP Jimoh Moshood, said that Commissioners of Police and police personnel in the affected states were placed on red-alert.
Moshood said that the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations was dispatched to Benue to coordinate and supervise the implementation of the new security strategies put in place by the Force.
The spokesman said that conventional Police Personnel, Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), Police Explosive Ordinance Department (EOD) teams were also deployed to Benue and Rivers to work with the personnel on the ground.
He said that the deployment was to bring new impetus to the efforts of the Force to nip in the bud further attacks in the states.
He said that eight suspected gunmen arrested at the scene of the killings in Benue were currently being prosecuted.
The other two suspects arrested at a different scenes of crime were being arraigned in court.
He said that the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of zone 4, Makurdi and 6, Calabra, were mandated by the IGP to convey stakeholders meetings in the affected states.
Moshood said that they were also to supervise the police investigation and intelligence teams, and other Police Special Squads deployed to the two states.
He called for calm and support for the police personnel deployed to sustain the normalcy that had been restored in the affected states.
“The Force implores the people to be vigilant and security conscious. They should promptly report suspicious acts or persons to the nearest police detachment or station for prompt action to avert untoward incidents,” he said.
He reiterated the Force’s renewed commitment to ensure law and order and protection of lives and property of all Nigerians throughout the country.
