President Muhammadu Buhari has warned that he will not tolerate any irregularities or extortion of money from unemployed Nigerians in the coming recruitment into the police.
At a meeting with officials of the Ministry of Police Affairs and the Police Service Commission today in the Presidential Villa, President Buhari said that applicants having to pay bribes before being accepted into the police in the past was totally unacceptable.
The President told the officials 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,” President Buhari cautioned.
The President also directed the Inspector-General of Police to prune down the number of policemen attached to dignitaries, and redeploy all policemen withdrawn from that role to regular police duties.
On the stagnation of policemen on a rank for many years, the President counselled 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.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Police Affairs, Dr James Obiegbu had, in his briefing of the President, listed inadequate police personnel, dwindling finances and non-rehabilitation of police training schools as some of the challenges facing the police.
The Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Sir Mike Okiro said that the country needed to have more than the 305,579 policemen and women which it has at present for effective policing.
He thanked President Buhari for approving the recruitment of 10,000 additional policemen and women earlier this week.
Meanwhile President Buhari has reaffirmed his conviction that the end of the Boko Haram insurgency is in sight, given the added vigour with which the war against the terrorist sect is now being prosecuted by Nigeria and her allies.
Speaking today at an audience with Mousa Faki Mahamat, Chadian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Special Envoy of President Idris Deby of Chad, President Buhari said that with higher morale among troops in the frontline against Boko Haram and their improved logistics, equipment and training, a rapid end to the insurgency could be expected.
The President said however that Nigeria and Chad must be prepared to make more sacrifices to end the scourge of Boko Haram since they were at the “very heart of the insurgency”.
“We will sustain our effort, and the insurgents will be defeated soon,” President Buhari vowed.
The Special Envoy of the Chadian President said that President Deby appreciated the leadership being shown by President Buhari in the war against terrorism.
“We also appreciate the diligence shown in appointing a commander for the Multinational Joint Task Force, and President Deby believes that the fight will end in a few months.
“Our people rely on us to end the insurgency, because economic development is being hampered. This fight has to come to an end. My coming here is to reaffirm our full commitment. Beyond the number of troops earlier announced, Chad is still ready to commit more soldiers.
“The enemy is weakened already. Let’s stand firm, and neutralize them,” he said. [myad]
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