DEFENCE
Police Council Confirms Egbetokun as IGP
Police Council has approved and confirmed the appointment of the Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Kayode Egbetokun, as substantive IGP.de
Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam, made this known on Tuesday in Abuja while briefing newsmen at the end of the council’s meeting held at the Presidential Villa.
The Police Council has the president, governors and Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC) as its members.
Its role is confined to the declared purpose of advising the president in the appointment of an IGP.
Gaidam said that the meeting centred on the confirmation of the Inspector-General of Police, who had been in acting capacity since four months ago.
According to Gaidam, Mr Egbetokun is eminently qualified to be appointed as the IGP because of his dedication and commitment to the force and to national security.
“We just had a meeting of the Police Council with President Bola Tinubu. The meeting focused on the confirmation of the acting Inspector-General of Police as the substantive Inspector-General of Police.
“He has been in acting capacity since he was appointed last three or four months ago. Based on our records and what we physically seen in him, he has a very rich Curriculum Vitae.
“He has attended several police and security courses and he is eminently qualified to be confirmed.
“I found him to be very qualified, very honest, very transparent and very hard working,’’ Gaidam said.
Similarly, the Minister of State for Police Affairs, Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, said Egbetokun had demonstrated clear understanding of the Renewed Hope Police Agenda.
“I invite everyone to be part of this reform. In the past we had reform papers that were not implemented. The current reform within the police ecosystem will be different.
“This reform is going to be backed by resources so that it is fully implemented and actualised. I invite the general public to perform their obligation toward policing.
“Police affairs are citizens affairs; everybody has a role to play,’’ Nigeria’s first female minister of state for police affairs said.
On his part, the Chairman of the PSC, former IGP, Mr Solomon Arase, affirmed that Egbetokun’s confirmation would give him the necessary confidence to lead his men.
He said apart from the confirmation of the IGP, Tinubu was also desirous of security sector reforms.
“We believe that there is the need for us to sit with critical stakeholders and take a look again at our internal security management.
“We need to look at all issues; examine timelines and implementation strategies,’’ Arase said.
In his remarks, Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State underscored the need for synergy between the police and state governments, considering the security situation in the country.
“I want to use this opportunity to congratulate the IGP, but more importantly to express great appreciation to the president and members of the council for his confirmation.
“Now it is very important for us to understand the synergy between the IGP, the police as a whole and the states, especially at a time like this when we are having security challenges in one state or the other.
“I believe very strongly that the IGP knows what is happening in this country; he is concerned about the challenges that we are having.
“He has been going from state to state; I know that he has been to Nasarawa State a couple of times and we believe very strongly that he will pick it up from there as a matter of fact,’’ he said.
In another remark, Gov. Dapo Abiodun of Ogun said Egbetokun addressed the council meeting on “The State of Police in Nigeria’’.
He said the IGP spoke about the need for technology- driven and community-based policing as well as adequate budgetary provisions.
“He also spoke about the need to re-examine police recruitment, a point that was canvassed and further elucidated upon by the Chairman of the PSC.
“This led to the constitution of a committee by the president with the Minister of Police Affairs, Chairman of the PSC, the National Security Adviser and Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum as members.
“The committee will look at points raised and ensure that recruits are indeed very eligible,’’ Gov. Abiodun said.
Until his latest appointment, Egbetokun was decorated as the Deputy Inspector-General of Police and supervising DIG for the Southwest geo-political zone, to man the Force Criminal Investigations Department, Force Headquarters, Abuja since April 6, 2023.
The new police boss was born on Sept. 4, 1964 in Erinja, Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun.
He enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force on March 3, 1990, as a Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police.
He had his initial cadet training at the Nigeria Police Academy, and has attended many other courses within and outside the Police Force.
He has worked in several police commands and formations across the country and held command positions at various times.
As a Deputy Superintendent of Police in 1999, he was appointed the Chief Security Officer to the then-elected governor of Lagos State, now President Bola Tinubu.
In that capacity, he coordinated the security of the entire state while reporting to the governor.
He served as the Commander, Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Lagos; Squadron Commander, MOPOL; Anti-Fraud Unit, FCT Command, Abuja, and Chief Superintendent of Police, Administration, Lagos State Command headquarters, Ikeja.
He also served as Area Commander, Osogbo, Osun State Command and Area Commander, Gusau, Zamfara Command, among several others.
Egbetokun is a police officer and a Mathematician.
He graduated from the University of Lagos, Akoka, with Bachelor of Science degree (BSc) in Mathematics in June 1987 and lectured Mathematics briefly at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, before his enlistment into the Police Force.
His other academic qualifications include MSc Engineering Analysis, also from the University of Lagos, Akoka (1996) and Post-Graduate Diploma in Petroleum Economics from Delta State University, Abraka (2000).
He also bagged MBA from Lagos State University, Ojo in 2004. (NAN)
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) airstrikes have eliminated scores of terrorists in Kaduna and Zamfara states, and destroyed 25 illegal refining sites in Imo and Rivers States.
The Director, Public Relations and Information, NAF, AVM Edward Gabkwet, made this known in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.
Gabkwet said the Air Component of Operation Whirl Punch had continued in its efforts to track, locate and eliminate the terrorists responsible for the recent upsurge of terrorists’ activities.
He said that intelligence had revealed that terrorists responsible for recent attacks on civilians, abductions and cattle rustling within Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger were domiciled in Kaduna State.
According to him, additional intelligence revealed the sightings of these terrorists relocating from Alawa Forest in Niger, to their stronghold in Malum Forest in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
“Consequently, the Air Component planned and executed an Air Interdiction mission on the terrorists’ stronghold at Malum Forest on Aug 21.
“Battle damage assessment and feedback from local sources revealed several of the terrorists were eliminated as a result of the strike.
“Similar strikes were also conducted on terrorists’ hideouts at Bayan Ruwa in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara.
“The terrorists were tracked to the zinc roofed structures in a vegetated area with few footpaths and a river line North West of the location.
“The targets were then acquired and engaged in successive passes,’’ he said.
In the Niger Delta, Gabkwet said that the air component of Operation Delta Safe destroyed 25 illegal refining sites and overhead tanks in Ohaji/Egbema in Imo and Degema and Cawthorne Channel in Rivers.
He said that a leaking pipeline was observed with the leakage spreading across over 150 metres radius in Greenville in Rivers.
According to him, the leakage has its attendant negative consequences on the vegetation, aquatic habitats and farmlands. (NAN)
The Nigerian Army announced on Sunday that its troops had neutralised a notorious Boko Haram commander, Abu Rijab, and other terrorist fighters in an offensive operation on Saturday.This was made known in a post on the Nigerian army’s official X Handle.It said that the operation took place in Bula Daloye, Bama Local Government Area of Borno.
It said the successful operation was in addition to the surrender of numerous terrorists and their families to the troops as a result of sustained pressure against their enclaves. Army said the troops also apprehended several criminal suspects and recovered arms and ammunition.“Following an intense firefight, the troops overpowered the terrorists, neutralising three, including a wanted Boko Haram commander Abu Rijab.“The operation led to the recovery of two AK-47 rifles and mobile phones.“Additionally, eight terrorists and their families surrendered to troops in Gwoza Local Government Area.“The same troops also apprehended two suspects in Konduga Local Government Area with 52 bags of illicit drugs intended for supply to terrorists,” it said.The post also revealed that troops operating in Taraba apprehended the chairman of Gassol Local Government Area Hunters’ Association, Alhaji Adamu Tanko, for selling an AK-47 rifle to a suspected terrorist.It said that investigation had revealed that the weapon had been recovered during a joint operation against terrorists in Boki Lamba, a border town with Plateau.In Plateau, the service said its troops apprehended two suspected criminal elements in the Rikkos area of Jos North Local Government Area.According to the post, troops recovered a fabricated rifle and mobile phones containing images of various calibres of arms and ammunition.“The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has commended the troops for their resilience and commitment.“He also expressed gratitude to the public for their continued support of the Nigerian army, sister services, and other security agencies through credible and actionable information about criminal activities,” it added. (NAN)
The Chief of Air Staff(CAS), Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar says the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) will continue to take vital steps towards protecting key national assets against criminal elements.
Abubakar stated this at the matriculation and combined graduation of set 2 students of the Nigerian Air Force College of Nursing Science and Critical Assets Protection Squad Course 5, of Regiment Training Centre on Friday in Kaduna.
Abubakar said, “As a fighting force, we shall continue to take vital steps towards protecting our key assets across the country.
”This is not just from agitating demonstrators, but also from terrorists, insurgents, economic saboteurs and other criminal elements in our society.
”We have plans toward improving the efficient and manpower capacity of all personnel of the Nigerian Air Force(NAF).”
He stressed that human beings were the most important in every system.
Abubakar said, “You can have expensive and sophisticated equipment and facilities, if the humans managing the system are not adequately trained and properly motivated, then that system will definitely fail and vice versa.’
He, therefore, said that part of his key enablers command philosophy was deliberate training and mission-oriented force development.
Abubakar said, “This is why we are glad today to have been able to graduate the trainees from the critical assets protection course and the basic nursing course.”
He stressed that the two courses were particularly very important considering the contemporary happenings.
The CAS explained that the critical assets protection course was critical to
NAF, citing the recent protests.
He said, ”They turned violent, accompanied by destruction of government facilities, attacks on some government critical national assets and looting in some states.”
Abubakar, therefore, said the graduates of the critical assets protection course were properly trained and educated to be able to handle such situations.
According to him, the more personnel are trained on the course, the more the NAF would be able to protect the nation’s critical national assets from external aggressors and internal saboteurs, criminals, insurgents, terrorists and their likes.
The CAS also said that considering the exodus of medical practitioners from Nigeria, the basic nursing course would bridge the gap.
Abubakar said, “The more we are able to train doctors and nurses, the faster we close the gaps and make sure we have a very effective and efficient health care system not only for the NAF, but for the whole country at large.
“To the graduates, you must have it at the back of your minds that your profession is a noble calling, requiring compassion, dedication and expertise.”
He reminded the graduates that they were distinct from other healthcare providers.
”You have a wide scope of practice and approach to medical care, just as you play an integral role in promoting health, preventing illness, and caring for all individuals.
”They include those who are disabled or are physically or mentally ill.
“In NAF, you will be the backbone of our medical services, providing critical care to our personnel, their families as well as vulnerable civilians in need of medical attention.
“We have quite a number of civilian students, some of whom we also trained free of charge as part of our corporate social responsibility,”Abubakar said.
He appreciated President Bola Tinubu for his unwavering support to NAF.
The Report says that awards were given to the graduates who distinguished themselves in the course of study.(NAN)
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