Borno state police command has warned owners of filling stations in Maiduguri, the state capital, to stop employing septuagenarians as guards.
Yusuf Lawal, the Commissioner of Police, gave the warning at a media briefing on Monday.
He narrated how a gang behind serial attacks on filling stations killed a guard.
“Employing septuagenarians as guards is not only making them easy target to crime but jeopardizing the general security of the state.”
“The attack we recorded yesterday, they killed the security guard. When we did the assessment, we realized that most of the filling stations employ the services of septuagenarians as watchmen.
“We are now in parley with them, trying to give them security tips, and agreed on the operation hours, that’s when they should close. In most of the filling station, especially that ones at the outskirt, we advise them to use the services of private security organizations instead of recruiting the aged septuagenarians to be watching over their filling stations” he said.
He said that police in Maiduguri have changed their pattern of night patrol to rid the society of the criminals currently disturbing peace in the state.
“Initially, you will see police patroling at night, they move flashing their headlights, now the criminals are very wise, they know the headlight of Hilux, they know that of Nissan.”
“But, the game changer now is when we reach a particular junction, we park our vehicles and do foot patrol across the neighborhood and some estates, and areas that from our analysis, we know them to be vulnerable to crimes” he said.
The CP appreciated the administration of Governor Babagana Zulum for the logistics support provided to the police in the state.
