By Godwin Ogar
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, has ordered heightened security deployment across the country to prevent any breakdown of law and order during this year’s Eid-el-Kabir celebration.
Disu said operational measures put in place include strategic deployment of tactical teams, intelligence operatives, and conventional police personnel to Eid prayer grounds, critical national assets, recreational centres, highways, motor parks, and other public spaces
According to a statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Anthony Placid, Police Commissioners and Tactical Commanders have also been urged to ensure “intensified visibility policing, coordinated patrols, and stop-and-search operations across all states.”
Other enhanced security deployment to ensure a peaceful and hitch-free celebration nationwide include “surveillance duties and intelligence-led crime prevention operations aimed at deterring criminal activities and protecting lives and property,” as well as “swift response protocols to any security threat that may arise during the celebrations.”
The Force has, however, called on Nigerians to report suspicious persons loitering around Eid prayer grounds, motor parks, markets or public gatherings for immediate proactive security measures.
Members of the public have also been called upon to report to the police if they sight “unattended bags, parcels, vehicles or objects left in unusual locations,” as well as unusual movements or gatherings that suggest criminal planning or intent.”
Similarly, members of the public have been called upon to trust their instinct and report individuals or groups conducting surveillance on security personnel or public facilities, or any activity that seems out of place.
