VICE President Yemi Osinbajo has tasked the new Inspector General of Police Usman Baba to stamp out culture of abuses and impunity from the police.
“Stamp out the excesses and abuses and the culture of impunity from the police force,” the vice president urged the acting IGP while decorating him on Wednesday at the State House, Abuja.
He also tasked him to restore the dignity of the force by rebuilding the broken bridges of trust with the public.
While stating that Baba was assuming of office in a turbulent time in the life of the country, Osinbajo said his emergence as the IGP followed a thorough and rigorous consideration of other senior officers in the force by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“IG, you are assuming office at a very turbulent time in the life of our people. There are multiple threats to law, order and public safety. The role of law enforcement and particular that of the police force as primary agency charged with maintaining law and order has never been more important. The police is our institution of first resort, the first line of defence against crime and anarchy and the first sign of the strength of the state,” he said.
He urged Baba to use his reign as IGP to implement the ongoing community policing by the Federal Government so as to curb the growing insecurity challenging the sovereignty of the country.
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“The challenges before you are indeed onerous and will test your mettle. The organisation you are leading is one that is itself facing several challenges. Your officers work still in extremely difficult conditions. And some face the threat of physical harm by terrorists, hostile non-state actors while in the line of duty but they have lived up to expectations.
“There is no question at all that there is a lot that needs to be done. There is a lot of work that needs to be done. Under your leadership, the Police must now rebuild in some ways also the broken bridges of trust to the public and regain the confidence of the citizenry. This is an ongoing challenge is an ongoing task that the Police Force and all of the senior members of the Police Force must take on as a responsibility, that of the continual process of building trust to the Nigerian people.”
“One of the ways you can do this is by implementing the community policing policy which had already taken off, and reconceptualising policing as a task carried out in partnership with local communities and by officers who are members of these localities.
“Under your leadership, the force must live up to all of the highest standards of professional conduct and compliance with the rule of law. It must significantly improve the welfare and working conditions of its officers.”
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