The Inspector General of Police IGP, Mohammed Adamu yesterday, flagged-off a special security action plan, to reinforce the ongoing fight against banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery and other violent crimes in the country.
Code named “Operation Puff Adder II”, the new special operation would be intelligence-led and community-driven, and would be executed in sustained collaboration with the Armed Forces, the Intelligence Community and other sister security agencies.
The IGP, during the flag-off of the Special Operation, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, noted that Operation Puff Adder II is an initiative of the Force, conceived from a deliberate and critical evaluation of the pattern and trend of crimes in the country and is aimed at re-dominating and reclaiming the public space from criminals that are bent on threatening the internal security order across the country and bringing them to book.
Adamu further noted that, as a stretegy to reinforce and consolidate on the successes and achievements of Operation Puff Adder I, which was launched by him in April, 2019, this Special Operation will entail massive and well-planned deployment of both human and other operational assets of the Force.
The IGP disclosed at the occasion that the flag-off, the first phase of the operation, is targeted at the full restoration of peace and security in the North-West and North-Central Geopolitical Zones of the country, by dislodging bandits from their current operational spaces and denying them space to regroup in other parts of the country. It will also ensure that all arrested bandits and their collaborators are punished for thier crimes.
In the long run, he said, it is expected that the operation shall be replicated across other States of the Federation to deal with the security challenges inherent in those states.
While assuring the Police operatives of adequate welfare provisions during the mission, the IGP also charged them to be civil with law abiding citizens but firm and ruthless with criminal elements who may want to threaten the safety of citizens in their Areas of Responsibilities.
He calls on the civil populace to work with the Police and other security agencies in the joint tasks of safeguarding the nation, especially in the area of providing useful, relevant and timely information, while assuring Nigerians of the Force’s commitment to do all within its powers to guarantee a stable security order across the country.
