Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) in charge of the North Central Zone, Mr. Isyaku Mohammed, yesterday said the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) will not recruit or absorb repentant terrorists into its ranks.
Mohammed stated this in Ilorin during a stakeholders’ meeting with officers and men of the Kwara State Police Command, traditional rulers, religious leaders, transport unions and other stakeholders.
He, however, urged stakeholders not to recommend repentant criminals for recruitment into security agencies.
The police boss, who urged community heads, religious leaders and security chiefs not to append their signatures to recommendation letters for such individuals, said they should instead identify and expose criminals so they are not allowed into the system.
He said, “Traditional rulers and DPOs do sign for those people. And I don’t think they’ll recommend anybody that has been engaged in criminality in the name of ‘I have repented’.”
Mohammed added, “I was privileged to serve in the North East. The military, in their own wisdom, accepted deradicalized Boko Haram members, reoriented them and sent them back to society.
“There’s a town hall meeting that I attended when I was DC Operations in Yobe. They came to sensitize the community and told the people to accept the deradicalized people because they’ve repented. But all members of the community rejected them.
“They said they should take them to another community where they don’t know them.
“They said, I cannot see somebody that killed my parents coming back with empowerment, while my parents, whose businesses he destroyed, are still there without assistance. So, it becomes a subject of discussion. But this is a Federal Government decision and the police cannot do anything about it.
“The only thing we can do is to protect our own territory and ensure that such repented people do not find their way into the Nigeria Police.
“And we are doing everything possible to ensure that not just repented criminals, even bad boys, we don’t allow them to find their way into the Nigeria Police.
“So, you our stakeholders, community heads, etc, don’t sign for them, identify them, expose them. We will not allow them into the system.
“And if you do, after training, we’re sending them back to you to come and police your places. So, you take the consequences.”
The DIG, who is the coordinating officer for the North Central Zone, said a joint border patrol would be inaugurated to check crime and criminality in Kwara State.
He said, “Kwara State borders states like Ekiti, Oyo, Kogi, Niger and the Benin Republic. So, the joint border patrol would be done across its border corridors to prevent criminality and criminals.”
He stated that the Inspector-General of Police had directed all DIGs to visit states within their zones and interact with stakeholders to obtain on-the-spot assessments and proffer solutions to security challenges as well as issues affecting police commands and personnel.
Mohammed, who canvassed community policing, said it remains an effective tool for crime prevention.
“Here, the community takes ownership of security strategy,” he said, while urging stakeholders to embrace community policing.
He also emphasised timely information sharing and encouraged youth engagement to make young people more productive.
Hammed Shittu
