NIGERIA POLICE BORDER PATROL UNIT GETS FIFTY (50) PATROL VEHICLES FOR EFFECTIVE MONITORING OF THE NATION’S BORDERS

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP MD Abubakar, CFR, NPM, mni, today 21^ST September, 2012, at Force Headquarters, Abuja, commissioned fifty (50) units of Toyota Hilux Patrol Vehicles, for immediate deployment to the four (4) Zonal Border Patrol Headquarters of the Nigeria Police, for effective patrol of various fronts of the country’s borders. The vehicles are acquired as part of on-going reforms to reposition the Force for greater efficiency in managing emerging security challenges, especially at the nation’s borders.

The vehicles will principally be deployed to beef-up security at all points of the country’s borders, to check all forms of trans-border crimes, especially, arms smuggling and illicit proliferation of light arms, human trafficking as well as drug trafficking. The Force will through the Border Patrol Unit, synergize with relevant sister security agencies, in the spirit of inter-agency relationship, to ensure a water-tight security at the nation’s borders with neighbouring countries. The Border Patrol Unit is also expected to liaise with the Police Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) and Force Intelligence Bureau to check-mate the influx into the country of suspected terrorists and others with varying criminal intentions.

The Nigeria Police Border Patrol Unit is headed by an Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG). The Unit is composed of four (4) zones, each of which is headed by an Assistant Commissioner of Police. The zones are:

i)             South-West Border Zone with headquarters at Seme, Lagos,

ii)           South-South Border Zone with headquarters at Calabar,

iii)          North-West Border Zone with headquarters at Katsina and

iv)         North-East Border Zone with Headquarters at Maiduguri.    

  

While addressing officers and men of the Force, during the commissioning ceremony, the IGP warned that any form of misuse of the vehicles will not be tolerated, stressing that the vehicles are to be employed for the purposes for which they are assigned. He stated that the newly acquired vehicles are to reinvigorate all sectors of the Border Patrol Unit nation-wide, to facilitate effective and efficient crime combat at the borders, enhance speedy response to distress calls along the borders and generally enhance the capacity of the Police to maintain a round-the-clock presence at the borders, in line with the IGP’s concept of high visibility policing.

In addition, the IGP warned officers that will be deployed for border patrol to maintain a high level of discipline, shun all forms of corruption and accord maximum respect to the fundamental rights of all Nigerians and foreigners, alike. He directed the AIG in-charge of Border Patrol to ensure a strict and result-oriented supervision of officers and men deployed to man the vehicles. He reminded them that as ambassadors of the Force, they are at all times expected to positively project the image of the Police by their conduct, carriage and turn-out.

The IGP also directed State Command Commissioners of Police within whose jurisdiction the patrol vehicles are to be deployed, to ensure optimum utilization of the vehicles. They are to complement the efforts of the AIG in-charge of Border Patrol, in providing close supervision of the men and materials under their command and ensure that these officers operate within the confines of relevant laws regulating their deployment.