The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, on Tuesday urged residents of Anambra State to stop shielding criminals and provide timely intelligence to security agencies, warning that a culture of silence was enabling kidnappers, cultists and other criminal elements to thrive in communities.
The IGP made the call during a strategic stakeholders’ engagement on security held in Awka, the Anambra State capital.
Represented by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the South-East, DIG Kenechukwu Onwuemelie, the IGP said effective crime-fighting requires active collaboration between the police, communities, traditional institutions and other stakeholders.
He noted that the engagement, being held across the country’s six geopolitical zones, was aimed at strengthening partnerships and developing practical solutions to prevailing security challenges.
According to him, the police cannot tackle insecurity alone without the support and cooperation of residents.
“The culture of silence in many communities allows criminals to operate unhindered. We urge members of the public to provide early-warning information to security agencies before situations deteriorate,” he said.
The IGP identified kidnapping, cult-related violence, armed robbery, targeted killings and drug trafficking as major security threats confronting communities.
He stressed that mutual trust between the police and the public was critical to improving intelligence gathering and crime prevention.
“The people need to trust the police, and the police also need to trust the people. It is only when there is mutual trust between the police and communities that information can flow freely.
“We need genuine partnership. We need to guide our youths. We need structures that give hope and opportunities to young people. We also need collaboration with vigilante groups under lawful engagement,” he added.
The police boss said all six Deputy Inspectors-General of Police had been directed to engage stakeholders in their respective zones to identify practical ways of addressing insecurity and strengthening community participation in security management.
He urged traditional rulers, community leaders, youth groups and residents to work closely with security agencies to deny criminal gangs safe havens within their communities.
“Security is a collective responsibility. No individual or agency can tackle insecurity alone. If communities remain united and work together, criminal gangs will find it difficult to undermine the security system,” he said.
The IGP also dismissed claims that the Nigeria Police Force was frustrating efforts to establish state police, explaining that the initiative would require constitutional amendments by the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly.
“The issue of state police is tied to the provisions of the Constitution. We must amend the Constitution and relevant laws before state police can become a reality,” he said.
Earlier, the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu, represented by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, Ibrahim Ezekiel, described security as the foundation for economic growth and social development.
He urged residents to maintain result-oriented collaboration with security agencies and legally recognised vigilante groups to enhance efforts to combat insecurity in the state.
The event was attended by heads of security agencies, traditional rulers, vigilante groups, members of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, civil society organisations, transport unions, journalists and representatives of the Northern community in the state.
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