Crime rate declining, says Egbetokun after security heads’ meeting with Tinubu

Kayode Egbetokun, the inspector-general of police (IGP), says the crime rate in Nigeria is “declining”.

Egbetokun spoke on Friday after a meeting of the security heads with President Bola Tinubu at the State House in Abuja.

The meeting was attended by Nuhu Ribadu, national security adviser (NSA); Yusuf Bauchi, director-general of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA); Ahmed Abubakar, commandant-general of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC); Kemi Nandap, comptroller-general of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS); Christopher Musa, chief of defence staff; and Egbeokun.

Speaking with State House correspondents, the IGP said Tinubu urged security heads to improve on collaborating to secure the country.

Egbetokun said his records show that the crime rate in the country is declining.

The IGP attributed the decline in the crime rate to effective synergy and strategies implemented by security agencies.

“It was a routine security meeting we had with Mr. President, where we had the opportunity of giving him security briefs. We have been doing this regularly,” Egbetokun said.

“Mr. President is happy with what we are doing; he’s satisfied with our reports, and he has challenged us to continue to work together and improve our synergy.

“As the inspector-general of police, I have the records of all reported crimes across the country, and I can tell you that the crime rate is declining in Nigeria. Records don’t lie; the records are there.

“So, I can assure you that we’ll continue to do whatever we are doing to maintain the decline in the crime rate.”