By Prosper Okoye
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, has ordered the deployment of Deputy Inspectors-General of Police across the country’s geopolitical zones to strengthen operational effectiveness and enhance supervision, as efforts intensify to secure the release of students recently abducted in Oyo State.
Speaking during a conference with senior police officers in Abuja on Tuesday, the IGP described the Oyo school abduction as an active operation and assured Nigerians that the Force, working closely with other security agencies, remains fully committed to rescuing the victims safely.
He stated that significant progress had already been made in ongoing rescue efforts and reiterated the determination of security agencies to ensure the abducted students are returned unharmed to their families.
As part of broader measures aimed at improving policing and tackling crime nationwide, IGP Disu announced that Deputy Inspectors-General would begin deployment to the six geopolitical zones from June 15 to strengthen coordination, accountability and operational oversight.
The police chief noted that the Force had recorded notable achievements since its last strategic conference in March, including the arrest of suspected terrorists, kidnappers, armed robbers and murder suspects. He added that 88 kidnapped victims had been rescued, while several firearms, ammunition and stolen vehicles were recovered during various operations.
Highlighting recent successes, the IGP disclosed that operatives in the Federal Capital Territory arrested five suspected kidnappers before they could execute planned attacks within Abuja.
To further improve security and intelligence gathering, he directed Commissioners of Police in adjoining states to establish coordinated “handshake patrols” along key highways and border routes to eliminate jurisdictional gaps often exploited by criminal elements.
IGP Disu also ordered a nationwide enforcement operation targeting vehicles operating without registration plates as well as those with concealed, altered or defaced number plates, warning that such vehicles are frequently used by kidnappers, terrorists and other criminal groups to evade detection.
He stressed that any vehicle found violating registration regulations would be stopped, impounded and subjected to the appropriate legal procedures, adding that no individual would receive special treatment during the enforcement exercise.
The renewed directives come amid sustained efforts by security agencies to combat kidnapping, banditry and other violent crimes across the country.
