Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State has told the police to ensure that he doesn’t hear about “unknown gunmen” again.
The Plateau state Governor said this when Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba visited Plateau on Monday June 21 to inaugurate 50 patrol vehicles and 200 motorcycles procured by the state Government to improve security.
According to Lalong, people who come into communities and kill innocent people in their sleep or when they are going about their legitimate businesses cannot be said to be spirits and must not be allowed to go free.
He said;
“It’s with tremendous joy that I welcome the Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Baba, Senior Heads of Military and Para-military organisations and distinguished guests to the commissioning of security patrol vehicles and special security motorcycles purchased by the State Government. This is a very significant event because Peace and Security have remained the key priority of the Rescue Administration. Our belief is that security is the baseline for attaining development in any society.
“However, we have also realised that while we consolidate on the peace, the crisis merchants are not sleeping as their source of business has been obstructed due to the actions we have put in place to restore stability. Therefore, they are restless and trying various methods to breach the peace. As I commend the security agencies for doing their best to tackle the cases of such attacks and other criminal activities, I have also expressed deep concern over the inability to prevent such killings or arrest the perpetrators in some cases. I have since told the police and other security agencies that I do not want to hear unknown gunmen again in Plateau State!
“People who come into communities and kill innocent people in their sleep or when they are going about their legitimate businesses cannot be said to be spirits and must not be allowed to go free. All we need is intelligence gathering, quick intervention and continuous surveillance. Security agencies must be assisted with the information to hunt down these merchants of evil and bring them to justice. Traditional rulers have equally been warned that they will be held responsible if they fail to give information on who is behind such attacks under their jurisdictions.”
On his own part, IGP Alkali said the procurement of the vehicles and motorcycles would not be in vain.
He said;
“You have challenged us by this gesture and I can confidently assure Your Excellency that we shall not fail you as we appreciate that to whom much is given, much more is expected.
“More police personnel will soon be recruited to boost the manpower of the force while the training of the personnel is also being accorded serious attention.”
