Kogi state Governor, Yahaya Bello, has said that stringent measures were put in place by his administration including the deployment of over 3000 vigilantes on strategic roads to curb the menace of high cases of kidnapping in the state.
Bello stated this at the weekend in Minna during the passing out parade of new recruits into the Nigeria Police Force.
Represented by his Special Adviser on Security, Commander Jerry Omodara (retd), the governor said that the state recorded over 167 cases of kidnapping in 2015, adding that this prompted the administration to initiate working synergy with security agencies in the state while providing adequate logistics to enhance their operations.
“Kogi state is now safe for both travelers and investors as the security challenges has been brought to the barest minimum. In 2015 the state recorded between 11-33 kidnapping cases every month, however this has drastically reduced. This result was achieved because we embraced community policing and also donated 150 Hilux vehicles to security agencies to fight crime in the state”, he said.
In a keynote address, the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, said that the recruits would be posted to ensure community policing.
Represented by the Deputy Inspector general DIG, Shuaibu Gambo Lawal, the IGP appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to approve the recruitment of 31,000 yearly in five years into the police.
The Niger state governor, who was represented by his deputy, Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Ketso, said government would continue to give adequate support to security agencies in the state.
