The authorities of the Nigeria Police Force Thursday warned criminals and other bad elements that have evil intentions to cause mayhem across all the venues designated for Independence Day anniversary celebration.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, a Commissioner of Police, in a telephone interview with our correspondent in reaction to the number of officers deployed across the country, said adequate and sufficient human and operational assets had been put in place to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.
Recall that the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, had on Wednesday ordered Assistant Inspectors-General of Police and Commissioners of Police in all the zonal and state commands and the FCT to lead the Independence Anniversary security operations from the frontline.
Baba had noted that the force had emplaced adequate security measures to protect the citizens, ensure the success of all the activities lined-up for the anniversary celebration and prevent any untoward situation throughout the period of the celebration and beyond.
Reacting to Daily Trust’s enquiry on the exact number of officers deployed, Mba said, “We will deploy adequate and sufficient human and operational assets to secure all the parade grounds, not just in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) but also in other designated venues for Independence Day celebration.
“And we will deploy both men for crowd control, we will deploy sniffer dogs, EOD operatives (bomb disclosure squads), we will deploy under-cover operatives in sufficient numbers, we will deploy men on both motorised and foot patrols.
“So, in a nutshell, I will deploy both human and operational assets adequately and in sufficient numbers. Our deployment would cover both overt and covert operatives including the tactical squads, the EODs and others.”
