In a desperate attempt to rejig the fight against armed banditry, kidnapping and other sundry crimes across the nation, particularly in Kaduna and other contiguous States, the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu has ordered the immediate redeployment of the Police Commissioner in charge of Kaduna state command, Ahmed Abdulrahaman to the Force Intelligence Bureau, Abuja. He was replaced by Aji Janga, hitherto commissioner of police in charge of Bauchi State command.
A statement by the police spokesman, Deputy CP Frank Mba, said other commissioners affected are: Habu Ahmadu, former commissioner in charge of Intelligence, who replaces Janga in Bauchi; Omololu Bishi is redeployed from Benue Command to the Central Criminal Registry (CCR), Alagbon Lagos. Mukadas Garba moves from the Office of the National Security Adviser to Benue while the erstwhile commissioner in charge of CCR Alagbon, Lagos has now been posted to the police headquarters, Abuja, to be in charge of armament.
The shake-up at the police came as the House of Representatives invited President Muhammadu Buhari, to address the nation on measures taken to tackle the rising incidence of killings, banditry, armed robbery and kidnappings; the list of which now includes Alhaji Musa Umar, district head of Daura, the President’s hometown, who was kidnapped by four unidentified gunmen. Umar, who is reportedly the father-in-law of the ADC to President Buhari, was sitting in front of his house with some people when the gun totting men stormed his residence and whisked him away in a Peugeot 406 saloon car.
The motion to invite the president was unanimously adopted by members when it was put to a voice vote by House Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, who said it was necessary to invite the President for an address since the issue of banditry had become national. The House, therefore, urged the Federal Government to deploy the military to the areas under attack to assist the police and other security agencies in flushing out the criminal elements. The lawmakers said in spite of persistent cries from the affected communities, the security operatives appeared not be proactive, especially on security tips off and most times failed to respond promptly. They also called for the declaration of state of emergency in the affected areas while urging the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to urgently provide relief to the victims of the attacks.
Kidnapping has been on the rise in northern Nigeria. On Monday, chairman of Universal Basic Education Commission, Dr. Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar and his daughter, Yasmin were kidnapped on the notorious Abuja-Kaduna highway. Abubakar’s driver was killed by the gunmen. They were released the following day after some ransom was paid to the gunmen.
At a recent meeting with Northern Traditional Rulers in Kaduna on Tuesday, the acting IGP Mohammed Adamu disclosed that in the first quarter of 2019 alone, 1,071 persons lost their lives in crime-related incidents across the country. He said between January and April, at least 685 persons were kidnapped across the country. Adamu said 767 of the persons killed were from the North.
Giving a further breakdown of the deaths, Adamu said the North-West topped the list with 436 deaths; North-Central came second with 250; while the South-South recorded 130 deaths during the period under review. He added that Zamfara State with 203 murder cases topped the national prevalence rate, followed by Kaduna State with 112 reported cases while 90 people were killed in Benue State.
