Eniola Olayemi
Newly recruited 10, 000 officers by the Nigeria Police Force were on Saturday told to shun corruption, indolence and all unprofessional conducts that could dent the image of the force and earn erring officers severe punishment.
The Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, handed down this warning in Ibadan at the passing out parade ceremony of 285 police constables June 2018 intakes that graduated from the Police Training College, Eleyele, Ibadan.
Represented by the Oyo state Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Odude, the IG said erring police personnel would be sanctioned accordingly, adding that a total of 6,000 constables were recruited.
According to him, “As policemen, you must have respect for the rule of law, fundamental human rights, and loyalty to the nation and the Force must be resolute and total.
“You are encouraged to toe the line of honour and shun acts capable of tarnishing the image of the Force as there is no place for corrupt, indolent and disgruntled officers because erring officers will continue to receive commensurate punishment.”
Idris also enjoined new police constables to be diligent, selfless, patriotic and also urge them to constantly refresh their newly acquired knowledge and skills by putting all that they have learnt into practice on the field in order to uphold the highest level of discipline and professionalism in the discharge of their statutory duties.
“The Nigeria Police Force has the sole responsibility of policing the society in a democratic setting. This could only be achieved through professional competence training acquired and available equipment. To meet up with the United Nation recommendation ration of one policeman to 400 people, the Federal Government thought it wise to commence recruitment of another 10,000 policemen, our advertorials have since been opened for interested Nigerians to apply,” he said.
The IGP noted that Presisdent Muhammadu Buhari has again approved and made funds available for the four premier colleges of Ikeja, Kaduna, Oji-River, Maiduguri and other police training schools across the country, adding that “This passing out parade comes, at the right time as the preparation for the general election, which will commence in few months time.
“The training and subsequent passing out parade of constables cut across the general duties, sport and transport categories of the force to improve the present strength of the force, which stood at approximately 300,000 policemen.”
However, he explained that the rapid changes in the nation and “our democratic process impose huge challenges on the Nigeria Police Force, to adjust positively to this new dispensation, the Force needs to become more proactive in her planning efforts, especially if we must develop capacity for junior cadres.
“Our goal is to ensure that the members of the Force are made more competent, more confident and more efficient in the art and science of modern policing. As police constables, care has been taken to ensure that this training prepares you for new challenges whilst providing you with the necessary tools to understand and properly interpret government/force policies on matters affecting national security.”
