The Nigerian Police Force is partnering with the Federal Ministry of Works to provide adequate security on Federal roads across the nation.
This formed the basis for discussion when the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi at the Ministry headquarters in Abuja on Monday.
IGP Disu lauded the Minister for the road infrastructure development ongoing in different parts of the nation, adding that, “you are working on the dream of a lot of people, you are working on the dream of a nation. You are working on the economy of people yet unborn because roads do not just carry daily bread, they carry the future of a nation and posterity never follows anywhere that there is no road”.
He further stated that good road networks encourage businesses, boost the economy and create a means of livelihood for people. This, he noted has a ripple effect; reducing crime and their work burden as security operatives.
“When you build roads, you are passing through areas that have not been trodden before. You are bringing light, civilization to people who didn’t expect it. And you are creating an economy along the road as you do that, bringing succor to people of different communities.
“When people are employed, when people have things to do, work to do, when people wake up in the morning and go to work, and come back home daily and happy, you are doing police work. You are removing a lot of pressure from us security operatives because people who are fed, people who have work to do, rarely go into crime”, he said.
To this end, the IGP informed that the aim of his visit was to synergize with the Ministry:
“We notice that as you work along the road, you will be needing the presence of security and we, being the team in charge of internal security, are ready to do our jobs to assist. We need police presence kilometers upon kilometers along the highway. By the time you are done, we should have special checking points on the road, areas specially designated for police officers to do proper checking of vehicles and of people plying the road, as it is done everywhere in the world.
“We need areas where patrol vehicles will be stationed. They can deploy their drones to watch the stretch of the road. It’s a kind of mini control room for police officers on that road. We have come to remind you to include this in your plans and at the same time, we need a lot of patrol vehicles, even armoured vehicles. We are pleading for you to do that for us. And we give you our words that vehicles provided will be dedicated for patrols and operations on that road”, he said.
Responding, Umahi noted that they had encountered security challenges in the course of road constructions but the police and other security agencies came to their aid. He therefore, appreciated them for all they do for the nation.
The Minister informed that they were working on all major road artillery in the country and thanked the IGP for apprehending vandals defacing those infrastructures.
“We have helped in the Lagos Costal Highway in terms of assisting the police. I think we have four patrol vehicles we gave to them. And I want to thank you very highly, because you have removed those touts defacing it.
“In the third mainland bridge, we have provided a CCTV, both above the water, under the bridge, and on top. And we built an observation center, where your people are doing very wonderful work and response time within any of the location is five minutes”, he said.
The Minister further informed that the same security arrangement, alongside solar-powered lights would be installed on ongoing road projects in each geopolitical zones of the country.
