Shape of IGP’s New Special Forces in S/West
…IGP Pre-empts the Governors
Ademola Adegbamigbe
The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, on Monday, 2 September 2019, held a security summit with (representatives of) the governors of South West in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital and the headquarters of the Old Western Region. The location was symbolic.
From the submissions of the IGP, it was as if he took the wind off the South West governors’ sails by launching his own special forces first. That bandits and other desperadoes made the geo-political zone a hell for all was a big embarrassment to the Police High Command. For bloody civilians to come up with a solution before the Police whose fundamental duty is to secure lives and properties, would have been a greater demystification still! One reason that shows that the governors and the IGP were not working in lock step was that they gave the meeting which took place at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan a wide berth. Governors of Lagos, Ogun, Ondo and Ekiti states were represented by their deputies – Obafemi Hamzat (Lagos), Mrs Noimot Salako-Oyedele (Ogun), Agboola Ajayi (Ondo) and Bisi Egbeyemi (Ekiti).
However, for the sake of protocol, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo was the chief host but he reiterated his government’s achievements in the area of security of citizens of the state, promised to support whatever initiative the IGP launched and touched on the resolves of his colleagues too in the zone to safety.
This is against the backdrop of the plan of the governors to come up with their own security squad. On 2 August, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun revealed how he and his colleagues in the zone were planning to operate a joint security team to patrol the entire region. Abiodun said this in Abeokuta at the sensitisation programme on the vision and focus of his administration held in preparation of the 2020 budget. “A joint security team that will patrol major roads and provide adequate security to the people of the South-West region of the country will soon be set up,” he said.
On 28 July, Governor Makinde, at a special thanksgiving service in honour of his mother, Madam Abigail Makinde, at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Yemetu, Ibadan, revealed that governors in the South-West region had agreed to launch a new security architecture in August. Indeed, the governors have held two meetings, one in Ibadan and another in Akure. A statement his the Chief Press, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, quoted the governor as saying that the governors of South-West states have been meeting to find lasting solutions to the security challenges in the region.
In his words: “I and other governors of the South-West have met on how to launch a new security architecture before the end of August 2019. The first 100 days of this government will be on the 5th of September and before the 5th of September, we will launch a new security architecture in Oyo State.”
However, IGP Adamu launched his on 2 September! His Special forces to be called ‘Safer Highway’ Motorised Patrol Scheme as well as the ‘Safer City’ Scheme are to be commanded by a commissioner of police, to be supported with technology, better equipment and Community Police Officers (CPOs). He told the audience: “Within this perspective and in relation to the Southwest geo-political Zone, we shall soon re-launch the ‘Safer Highway’ Motorised Patrol Scheme as well as the ‘Safer City’ Scheme. We have since purchased new fleet of patrol vans to be deployed across our highways and cities. This will also involve the deployment of cutting-edge CCTV technology for surveillance across the highways and vulnerable locations in our communities in the zone and other parts of the country.
“In addition, a special operation is underway across the Southwest geo-political zone. The operation will specifically address the threat of kidnapping and armed robbery on the highways and other locations. While for operational reasons, I would not offer the details into the operation, I am in this summit with the Commissioner of Police who will command the special operation to complement the efforts of the Police Commissioners in the states within the zone.
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Special forces to be commanded by a Commissioner of Police
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Serviceable and fast moving patrol vehicles to fight crime
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Police to synergise with Obas
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Also OPC to participate
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Deployment of CCTV
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Area surveillance of trouble points
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Employment of Community Policing Officers (CPO) to perform low risk security functions
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There will be a Committee of police, other security agencies, OPC, Miyetti Allah
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