- Deploys heavily armed tactical squads, UAVs
By Paul Michael, Defence Editor, Abuja
Following the recent rise in kidnapping, bandit attacks and general insecurity at the Abuja-Kaduna expressway, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, weekend patrolled entire 163km expressway for on the spot assessment of the security challenges in the area.
Acting Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a press statement forwarded to The Trumpet on Saturday, said some salient and strategic points along the expressway were fortified with special officers to ensure adequate security.
CSP Adejobi also added that the IGP also visited the personnel of the Armed Forces and Police deployed at Rijana to secure the technical crew of the Nigeria Railway Corporation undertaking repair works at the damaged train coaches and rail line in the axis.
He said, “The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, psc(+), NPM, fdc, today (Saturday) patrolled the entire 163km stretch of the Abuja-Kaduna expressway for hands-on assessment of the security challenges and to personally supervise the operational deployment of officers drawn from the Police tactical squads to ensure the safety of travellers along the route.
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“In the course of the patrol, the IGP mapped out some salient and strategic points along the express which were immediately fortified with the deployment of operatives drawn from the Police Mobile Force (PMF), Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), Special Forces (SF), Intelligence Response Team (IRT), the Special Tactical Squad (STS), as well as airwing operatives in charge of unmanned aerial vehicles of the Nigeria Police Force.
“During the patrol, IGP Alkali equally visited personnel of the Armed Forces and Police deployed at Rijana to secure technical crew of the Nigeria Railway Corporation undertaking repair works at the damaged train coaches and rail line in the axis, to boost their morale and assess the state of their post.”
He also said that the IGP assured citizens and road users that with the strategic and operational deployment of police officers along the route, normalcy would be restored.
According to him, the IGP “tasked members of the public on active intelligence sharing with Law Enforcement Agencies for effective policing of all spaces.”
