Wednesday, October 22, 2008
I don't know the number of policemen in Nigeria - Okiro

By Olusola Fabiyi, Ibanga Isine and Chukwudi Akasike

The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro, on Tuesday stunned senior police officers at the Force Headquarters in Abuja when he said that as the number one police officer, he did not know the actual number of policemen in the country.



Okiro, who met with the officers from the rank of commissioner of police and above over the rising crime wave in the country, said that all that he had was a mere estimate.

He did not give the estimate but said that because of non-unavailability of correct data on all officers and men of the force, he had directed that new identity cards be obtained by all policemen before the end of December 2008.

This, he said, would help eliminate ghost policemen.

The IG said, "The ID card is designed to help us know the number of policemen in the Nigeria Police Force. I don't even know the actual number of policemen in the country.

"All what I know is mere estimate and that is why we keep on talking about so, so and so number. There must be verification for all policemen and it is going to start by November 4.

"All policemen must be physically present at the venue and no one should bring authority to collect ID card on behalf of any officer or rank and file. This would help us to know the exact number of policemen in the NPF."

Okiro also stirred laughter among his subordinates when he said that even as the IG, he still uses the ID card of a Deputy Inspector-General of Police.

He said the new ID card would also serve as ATM card for all policemen since it could be used by them to access their salaries.

The IG said the era when dismissed policemen paraded themselves as policemen was over as the card was capable of rejecting them as soon as they slotted it into any ATM.

He later met behind closed doors with the officers to strategise on ways to check the rising crime wave in the country, especially in the last quarter of the year.

It was gathered that the police boss enjoined his men to be more vigilant as the year gradually runs to an end. He was also quoted as asking them to embark on stop-and-search operations.

The Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Mr. Parry Osanyande, had on October 15, 2008 told journalists in Benin, Edo State, that there were 377, 000 policemen in the country.

If that figure is correct, it would mean there are about three policemen to one thousand Nigerians on the average.

He added that out of the number, 100, 000 were involved in duties that were not part of their normal assignments as policemen.

But on Tuesday, the PSC Spokesman, Mr. Ikechuchukwu Ani, told one of our correspondents that it would not be easy to get the actual number of policemen until the officials of the commission returned from their tour of police formations across the country.

Ani said, "I would need to find out from the commission and you know that the chairman and other members of the commission are currently on tour of police formations.

"As I speak with you, they are in Calabar (Cross River State), so you have to wait till Thursday when they would have probably returned."

Meanwhile, the Rivers State Police command on Tuesday deployed its surveillance helicopter in search of two sisters - Chinonso and Uchechi Ajanaku - who were abducted by gunmen in Port Harcourt.

Naval gunboats and police patrol boats were also deployed to search the creeks, while heavily armed troops, operatives from the State Security Service and the police patrolled the city as part of the efforts to track down the gunmen and rescue the children.

Chinonso, 11; and Uchechi, nine, are children of one Mr. Ajanaku, who is said to be an official of the Shell Petroleum Development Company.

It was learnt that a car conveying them to school was blocked by the gunmen along Odili Road, off Trans Amadi Road, at about 7.30 am by the hoodlums.

After forcing the driver to stop, the bandits reportedly forced the door open and dragged the children to their waiting vehicle and sped off.

When contacted, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bala Hassan said, "We have deployed our helicopter to provide air surveillance while all the entry and exit points to the city have been kept on close watch.

"We are out to ensure that the kidnappers are apprehended and the two children rescued."

Meanwhile, an expatriate employee of Julius Berger Plc, Mr. Guy Bartlett, who was kidnapped by gunmen in Akwa Ibom State about two weeks ago, was released to his family on Monday in Uyo.

The Commissioner of Police, Akwa Ibom State Command, Mr. Mike Zuokumor, said no ransom was paid for the release of the victim.

He said, "The expatriate from Julius Berger has been released. He was freed yesterday (Monday). The government and the family of the victim did not pay any ransom before he was released. We spoke to the family and told them not to pay any amount to the kidnappers."

Zuokumor also said he had ordered the monitoring unit of the command to investigate allegations of extra judicial killings by the police in the state.

"Our fight against crime cannot be compromised. But this must be done according to the law. Nobody has the right to kill or execute any person. I have instructed the monitoring unit to investigate the matter and I will brief you on the outcome very soon," he said.

http://odili.net/news/source/2008/oct/22/416.html

PepERSprAY:

Wednesday, October 22, 2008
I don't know the number of policemen in Nigeria - Okiro

That's because they are policemen during the day and armedrobbers during the night

well honesty is the best policy.

bawomolo:

well honesty is the best policy.

LOl

It is shameful, so he doesn't know the number of policemen he's paying every month, they pay any figure of naira every month. Police has no databese of his men. It is shameful.

faoni572:

It is shameful, so he doesn't know the number of policemen he's paying every month, they pay any figure of naira every month. Police has no databese of his men. It is shameful.

record keeping is intentionally neglected in a country where dead people are part of the payroll.

If IG don't know the number of men in his command, how the hell did he pay them every month?

ignorant admission of ignorance lol

He said the new ID card would also serve as ATM card for all policemen since it could be used by them to access their salaries.

The IG said the era when dismissed policemen paraded themselves as policemen was over as the card was capable of rejecting them as soon as they slotted it into any ATM.

this Okiro guy and his fraudulent technology contracts
why will any dismissed policeman parading as a policeman
approach an atm with his own card when there are innocent nigerians available?

Dis Guy:

this Okiro guy and his fraudulent technology contracts
why will any dismissed policeman parading as a policeman
approach an atm with his own card when there are innocent nigerians available?

His inlaw owns a tech firm and they have both been fleecing police coffers in the name of info tech

idupaul:

His inlaw owns a tech firm and they have both been fleecing police coffers in the name of info tech

hmm no wonder, they'll soon announce free WIFI for police barracks