IG places his men on alert, deploys surveillance helicopters in Rivers, Benue

Ibrahim-Idris, inspector-general of police, has ordered the deployment of additional investigative teams to Benue and Rivers state.

He gave the order less than 24 hours after holding a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa in Abuja.

Idris had told state house correspondents that the president asked the police to beef up security across the country.

At least six states have recorded various acts of violence in the first week of 2018.

In a statement on Saturday, Jimoh Moshood, force public relations officer, said the IGP also ordered supervising assistant inspectors-general of police and their personnel to be on red-alert with immediate effect to nip in the bud and prevent further attacks on innocent Nigerians by suspected herdsmen and other “criminal elements” in the affected states.

“To this end, the deputy inspector general of police operations has been dispatched by the IGP to Benue state to muster, coordinate and supervise the implementation of the new security strategies put in place by the force to put an immediate end to the senseless killings and violence unleashed on innocent Nigerians by suspected herdsmen and other criminal elements in the two states,” the statement read.

“Police aerial surveillance helicopters, five (5) units of police mobile force; police special forces have been deployed along with additional conventional Police Personnel, the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), Police Explosive Ordinance Department (EOD) and Special Police Joint Intelligence and Investigation Teams to Benue and Rivers State to work with the Police Personnel on the ground.

“Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department (FCIID) Personnel. This is to bring new impetus to the efforts of the Force to nip in the bud further attacks in the mentioned states.

“The assistant inspector general of police in Zone 4 Makurdi and Zone 6 Calabar have been mandated to convey Stakeholders meetings in the affected states and also supervise the police investigation and intelligence teams, and other Police Special Squads deployed by the IGP to the two states.”