THE Nigerian Police have urged the traditional rulers across the country to corporate and assist the force with useful information on crime and criminality in their localities. Ibrahim Idris, inspector general of Police, said the corporation would ensure that the offender is not only arrested but prosecuted in accordance with the laws of the land.

Speaking at the 9th general assembly of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria, NCTRN, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Tuesday, January 30, Idris said the traditional rulers and their institutions must not only encourage their subjects to give information, they must also encourage them to give evidence when required to do so in courts.

“The ethical conducts of our traditional rulers and their institutions is also very vital for the prevention of crimes and criminality in our communities. The traditional rulers and your royal majesties can prevent crimes if we speak against crimes in our communities. We must condemn criminal activities in our communities and not condole it.

“You must speak up against known criminals in your communities. We must not reward crimes and criminality in our communities by the conferment of chieftaincy titles on persons whose sources of livelihood are not transparent. If children and youths in our communities are aware early in life, that crime is evil and does not pay, it will reduce criminal tendencies in them,” he said.

Idris, who spoke on topic ‘Community Policing As a Catalyst to Crime Prevention – The Role of Traditional Rulers,’ said the role of the traditional institutions in the prevention of crime should extend to areas of logistics support to the Police. He urged the traditional rulers to appeal to their subjects who are well to do and with no questionable character to support the Police in the area of logistics.

According to him, the Police need communication, information technology infrastructure, patrol/operational vehicles, forensic and scientific aids for investigation and the construction and rehabilitation of barracks. The IG noted that the regular budgetary allocations to the Police would not be sufficient to meet these needs.

He, therefore, praised the traditional rulers for the role in the fight against crime and criminalities in the country. He said that the responsibilities of the Police could not be carried out without the support and cooperation of the traditional rulers and their subjects. “My success stories in the fight against crime and criminality so far in our various communities cannot be told without the support of the traditional rulers and their institutions.

“It is not possible to mention all my achievements since my appointment as the Inspector-General of Police on the 22nd of June 2016 especially in the fight against insurgency, kidnapping, armed robbery, cattle rustling and other heinous crimes across the length and breadth of this country. However, suffice it to mention that the activities of kidnappers in north central especially along Kaduna-Abuja Roads, Abuja-Minna Roads, Abuja-Lokoja-Okene Roads and their environs have been drastically reduced.

“Again the incidents of Kidnappings in the South-South, South East and South West have also been minimised. In the month of December and January alone, the police arrested over 200 kidnappers, armed robbers and cattle rustling suspects in various parts of the country. In this same period over 100 AK 47 Rifles, 20 English made pistols, 10 SMG Rifles, and over 700 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm and 9.19mm calibers of ammunition respectively, were recovered from them,” Idris said.

– Jan.  30, 2018 @ 18:00 GMT /