Police Lack Tools To Fight Kidnapping — Okiro

The Nigeria Police lacks the equipment to adequately fight kidnapping, Mr Mike Okiro, the immediate past Inspector-General of Police (IG), said in Abuja.

   Okiro made the statement during his investiture as the Grand Patron of the Volunteers for Awareness Against Kidnapping and Human Trafficking (VAKAHT).

He said the police needed modern equipment to combat kidnapping, considering that kidnappers were well equipped.

“Nigeria is not advanced technologically; our criminals watch movies and they travel outside the country to import devices that they are using to commit crime.

“Unfortunately, the police cannot measure up because they don’t have the equipment and the technological know-how to confront these criminals.

“We need to empower them, we need to give them modern equipment so that they can be in a better position to fight criminals,’’ Okiro said.

Okiro called on the public to assist the Police with useful information that would lead to the arrest of criminals and stressed that “the police cannot do wonders without information from the citizens.

“The police are not magicians but they can do their work better if you provide them useful information,’’ he added.

The former police chief pledged his support to VAKAHT, stressing that any organisation that was interested in security should be assisted to achieve the objective.

Earlier, Mr Charles Edet, the National President of the organisation, said VAKAHT decided to honour Okiro because of his fight against kidnapping and human trafficking throughout his career as a security officer.

Edet added that the former IG indicated interest in the growth of the VAKAHT right from its inception in 2009 by promising to support it.

He said the group planned to sensitise the public on the negative effects of kidnapping and human trafficking and had already begun a “massive mobilisation” nationwide, especially in the Southeast and South-South zones, toward achieving the goal.