Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, has disclosed plans to recruit 31,000 personnel, yearly, to address shortage of manpower in the Force.
The IGP revealed this, yesterday, when he officially commissioned the Nasarawa State new Police Headquarters, in Lafia.
The police boss explained that the recruitment will address challenges of inadequate police manpower in the country.
He said: “Apart from the problem of manpower, we would also do everything possible to provide logistics to all our commands in the country.”
Idris, however, called on the members of the public to support the police by giving them useful information in order to police the country properly.
Earlier, Commissioner of Police in Nasarawa state, Abubakar Sadiq-Bello, said inadequate manpower and transfer of officers without replacement poses serious security challenges in the state.
“Lack of adequate patrol vehicles and lack of communication equipment were some of the challenges facing them.
He noted that if these challenges were addressed, they would help enhance capacity for better protection of lives and properties in the state.
Last year, police recruited 10,000 personnel, on the order of President Muhammadu Buhari.The directive was to address shortage of manpower in the police as well as address youth unemployment.Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau disclosed this, on behalf of the president, last year, at a ceremonial parade to mark the 2016 Police Week in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Dambazau further explained the recruitment would address the manpower gap in the force and advised the management to put national interest into consideration during the recruitment.
“In carrying out this exercise, I expect the Nigeria police to put national interest in the foremost.”
“No nation thrives without security and neither can a nation lay claim to security without an efficient policing service.
“This administration shall continue to support initiatives that will guarantee the reform and modernisation of the Nigeria police.
“I must clearly recognise that the nation expects so much from the police.”
He also noted that the government is determined to “bequeath a reformed, re-oriented, well-trained, well-equipped and highly-motivated police.”
The recruits completed training in May 2017.