By ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi-
Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has said that the State has no bandits but only informants who engage in such acts because of poverty.
He stated this in a speech when he received the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, during a courtesy visit at the Government House on Wednesday.
The Governor, who however, lamented that Bauchi State is porous because it borders seven states in the north, commended the IGP for setting up the Special Intervention Squad in 10 pilot states including Bauchi to tackle crime.
He said: “The ratio of the citizens to the Police is very low and we cannot leave all the ungoverned spaces in the state but certainly, there is arbitrariness and subjectivity in the application of law or lack of it by the vigilante and the prevalence of selfishness in terms of the application of law and justice.
“The Police are working as leaders in the security architecture with the military, the civil defense, the SSS and all the para-military organizations. And we are giving our little widow’s mite to compliment what the Police is doing and we will continue to do that.
“The Special Intervention Squad which you are establishing, we are very grateful that we are included, and definitely, whatever support you need from us, we are ready to do so because security is all we need,” he said.
Mohammed expressed the importance of security noting that without it, there can be no progress in the society.
He said: “Security is what we need to go to school, what we need to go to the farm because we are peasants here which a very large land space. Our geography is very difficult to contain or to manage. We have gorges, we have rivers, we have valleys, ungoverned spaces, we have very large forests and the demographics are not helping us, people are coming here because of our relative peace.
“We are a gateway to seven states, we are a gateway to states in the north – the north-east, the north-central and the north-west. Some of the activities of the Federal Government in the north-west are affecting us because, as you said, you can see how intellect is deployed, you’re fighting them in the north-west, they’re running to the north-east and this is the route. Unfortunately, the route is through Bogoro, where your wife comes from.
“We don’t have bandits in Bauchi, the Commissioners of Police from Nuhu Sani to CP Umar, were here, what we have are informants and the are just informants because of poverty – poverty of the mind and the rest, lack of community engagement and do on and so forth.
“So, it is a welcome development that you are establishing this Special Squad because of the cross-cutting nature for the provision of security and we are really very happy.”
Speaking earlier, the Inspector General of Police, commended the Governor for his giant strides in the State by providing dividends of democracy to the citizens of the State.
Egbetokun also commended the Governor for his efforts towards maintenance of lives and properties and his support to the security agencies in the State especially the Nigeria Police noting that “this is why Bauchi stands out as one of the peaceful states in the country.”
He informed the Governor that the establishment of the SIS is to assist in addressing the many security challenges facing the country.
NATIONAL ACCORD reports that the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, arrived Bauchi State for a one-day working visit.
The IGP, on board an aircraft marked: 5N-KAL, landed at the Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa International Airport, Bauchi at 11.30am.
He was received at the Airport by the Secretary to the Bauchi State Government, Ibrahim Kashim; the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 12, AIG Julius Alawiri Okoro; the Commissioner of Police, Bauchi State, Auwal Muhammad; Gombe State CP Hayyatu Usman; Senior Police Officers and top officials of the Bauchi State Government.
Egbetokun accompanied by his wife, Elizabeth; Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of North-East, Bala Chiroma; Deputy Inspector General of Police, Force Intelligence and that of Finance and Administration, is expected to pay a courtesy visit to the Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, at the New Government House.
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