…tasks squad to shoot deadly criminals,instead of being killed
From Maurice Okafor,Enugu
The acting Inspector General of police, Ag. IGP Usman Alkali Baba, yesterday ordered the special squad known as Operation Restore Peace” send to fight against heightening insecurity in the South East zone, not to wait for directives from their superiors before they will shoot suspected criminals with sophisticated weapons ,instead of being killed by the criminals.
Acting IGP Usman who lamented the ugly and heitghtening trend of insecurith in the South East zone,targeted at security agents,police stations and public institutions gave this command as he flagged off the special swuad code named “Operation RP” at Okpara square,Enugu.
. He said the special operation has become necessary to halt the excesses of the pro Biafra groups like the indigenous People of Biafra(IPOB) and Eastern Nigeria Network(ESN).
He stated,’activities of the group in the region have assumed an armed dimension in which important political and community leaders as well as personnel and assets of the Nigeria Police, Military and other security agencies, critical national infrastructure are being constantly targeted in clearly well-coordinated, premeditated manners”
” This is in addition to deepening inter-ethnic prejudice and intolerance, unjustifiable inter-ethnic violence and counter-violence, loss of lives and massive destruction of properties”
He stressed further that “Operation RP” will be replicated in other parts of the country, to address peculiar crimes including banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, amongst others.
“The ‘Operation’ will be carried out by operatives of the Force in collaboration with the Armed Forces, the intelligence community and other sister security agencies. The personnel deployed have been charged to be civil with the law-abiding citizens, but firm and ruthless with criminal elements operating under any guise whatsoever who may attempt to test the collective will of the people”.
The host,Govrrnor Ugwuanyi of Enugu state commended the IGP for initiating the special operation,,stating the South East governors in their capaity have edtablished outgits like the Neighbour hood watch,Forest guards etc to curail rising rate of criminality in the zone.
The other South East govrrnors were represented at the flg off by their deputies except for Governor Willie Obiano,who was represented by AIG Ayuba(rtd).
