Ahead of the Eid-el-Kabir celebration scheduled for tomorrow and Wednesday, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Usman Baba, yesterday ordered Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIGs) in charge of zonal police commands and the Commissioners of Police (CPs) in the 36 states to beef up security in their various commands.
A statement by Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, a Commissioner of Police, said the IG ordered the CPs in all the states of the federation, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and their supervisory AIGs to prevent any incident in their areas of responsibility that could mar the celebration of the Islamic festival.
In compliance with the directive, the Federal Capital Territory Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bala Ciroma, has ordered uninterrupted patrols, stop-and-search operations and coordinated intelligence-based crime fighting strategies within the FCT during the celebration.
The IG assured the nation of sustained efforts by the police in fighting crimes and improving public safety and security nationwide.
The IG directed the zonal AIGs and state command CPs to take measures to ensure a secure, peaceful and incident-free celebration.
“They are to amongst other things, deploy human and other operational assets to carry out confidence building and crime prevention patrols on major highways, residential and industrial areas, vulnerable points, places of worship, other places of public resort and around all critical national infrastructure,” the statement said.
The IG also warned that personnel deployed must be professional and mindful of the fundamental rights of the citizens, and discharge their responsibilities with all sense of decorum and alertness.
The IG, while congratulating Muslims on the occasion of the year 2021 Eid-el-Kabir celebration, reiterated that the police would continue to improve on the recent gains achieved in stabilising security order in parts of the country, protecting lives and property of citizens, and denying space for crimes and criminality to thrive.
He urged citizens to celebrate and enjoy the beauty of the Eid-el-Kabir while remaining security conscious and compliant with the COVID-19 prevention protocols.
Meanwhile, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bala Ciroma, weekend ordered uninterrupted patrols, stop-and-search operations and coordinated intelligence-based crime fighting strategies within the FCT during the celebration.
A statement by the spokesperson of the FCT Police Command, Mariam Yusuf, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said in view of the upcoming Sallah celebration, the FCT Police Command had taken steps to provide security within the city, especially at strategic places such as recreational parks/centres, worship centres and major highways, among others to ensure that residents enjoyed a hitch-free celebration.
