IGP to officers: Restore professionalism to your duties… use rifles responsibly

Usman Baba, inspector-general of police, has advised officers of the force to ensure professionalism in the discharge of their duties.

He stated this on Wednesday, when he paid a familiarisation visit to Lagos.

Baba first visited Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, before he proceeded to the state command headquarters.

However, he was only able to take the national anthem before a heavy downpour disrupted the event at the command headquarters.

The wind blew away all the canopies erected, and the IGP had to move to the conference room, where he held a brief meeting with some senior officers.

Speaking at a media briefing during the visit, he said there are areas of improvement to ensure effective policing in the country.

“There is the need to control the use of arms. Officers should lecture their men that once they are assigned rifles, there is a time and reason for their use. You need to guard them and use them responsibly,” Baba said.

“We must also be civil in discharging our responsibilities. Never should we allow our stations to be overrun to the extent that we will not be able to handle situations because of cowardice or lack of professionalism.

“It is good to remind ourselves of the enormous task of policing in a democratic system. We have not got all we need to discharge our duties in terms of welfare, logistics and equipment, but with the available limited resources, we will do our jobs with more dedication and professionalism.

“I want to congratulate us that the government and the people are taking cognisance of our duty. We have the support of every Nigerian like never before, and it has become obvious that we are neccessary in maintaining equilibrium.

“We need to restore our professional calling by way of discharging our responsibilities through technology based practices and go by the enabling laws.”