IGP Rallies Nasarawa Stakeholders As Police Move To Halt Insecurity Wave

Concerned by a wave of violence and kidnappings in Niger, Kwara, Kogi and Benue states, Inspector General of Police Olatunji Disu has deployed a deputy inspector general of police to coordinate the force’s activities in the North Central geopolitical zone.

DIG Isyaku Mohammed told a packed hall of traditional rulers, faith leaders, transport union officials and Police Community Relations Committee members in Lafia, the Nasarawa state capital, on Tuesday that the era of criminals operating freely is over.

The coordinating DIG acknowledged rising cases of kidnapping and banditry in Niger, Kwara and Kogi states, contrasting them with Nasarawa state, which he said: “is getting it right.”

He explained that his visit was part of an on-the-ground assessment across all states in the zone.

“The IGP is concerned about the security situation, not only in Niger and Kogi but in all states. That is why he dispatched us to review strategies with commissioners of police, identify logistics needs and encourage officers for more effective policing,” he said.

Addressing fears over school abductions following recent incidents in Oyo state, the DIG appealed for calm. Citing a Hausa proverb, “When you see your friend’s beard catch fire, you put water on yours so it won’t engulf your own beard too,” he said, security agencies are sensitising commissioners of police and the public.

“There is no cause for alarm. The Oyo incident was an isolated case. We are working day and night to ensure it does not happen again in Nasarawa and other North Central states,” he added.

Speaking earlier, Nasarawa State Commissioner of Police Shettima Mohammed called for additional surveillance logistics, citing hard-to-reach communities and highways linking the state to flashpoints across the region.

“We need tools to see what’s coming before it hits us,” he told the DIG.

Community leaders backed the call. PCRC State Chairman Mandy Abulaya and the Emir of Lafia’s representative, Alhaji Ishaka Dauda, demanded sustained grassroots partnerships to shield schools, markets and places of worship from attacks and abductions.