- Police Break Silence On Recruiting Repentant Terrorists
- DIG warned leaders against recommending people with criminal backgrounds.
- Joint border patrol will boost security across Kwara State border communities.
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has dismissed reports claiming it plans to recruit repentant terrorists into its ranks, insisting that individuals with criminal backgrounds will not be allowed into the force.
The clarification was made by the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the North Central Zone, DIG Isyaku Mohammed, during a stakeholders’ meeting with officers and men of the Kwara State Police Command, traditional rulers, religious leaders, transport union representatives, and other stakeholders in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that Mohammed urged community leaders, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and security stakeholders to refrain from endorsing individuals with questionable backgrounds through recommendation letters during police recruitment exercises.
He warned that leaders who recommend persons with criminal records would bear responsibility alongside their communities if such individuals eventually infiltrate the police force.
“Traditional rulers and DPOs do sign for those people. And I don’t think they’ll recommend anybody who has been engaged in criminality in the name of ‘I’ve repented’.
“I was privileged to serve in the North East. The military, in its own wisdom, accepted deradicalised Boko Haram members, reoriented them, and sent them back into society.
“There’s a town hall meeting that I attended. When I was DC operation in Yobe. They came to sensitise the community and told the people to accept the deradicalized people because they’ve repented. But all members of the community rejected them. They said they should take them to another community where they don’t know them.
“They said, I cannot see somebody who killed my parents, coming back with empowerment, while my parents, whose businesses he destroyed, are still there without assistance. So, it becomes a subject of discussion. But this is a federal government decision, and the police cannot do anything about it.
“The only thing we can do is to protect our own territory and ensure that such repentant people do not find their way into the Nigeria Police. And we are doing everything possible to ensure that not just repented criminals, but also bad boys, we don’t allow them to find their way into the Nigeria police.
“So, you, our stakeholders, community heads, etc, don’t sign for them, identify them, or expose them. We will not allow them into the system. And if you do, after training, we’re sending them back to you to come and police your places. So, you take the consequences.”
His remarks come amid reports that at least 40 repentant Boko Haram insurgents have reportedly been shortlisted for the Nigerian Army’s 91st Regular Recruits Intake.
The DIG also announced that the police would inaugurate a joint border patrol to strengthen security across Kwara State’s border communities.
“Kwara state borders states like Ekiti, Oyo, Kogi, Niger, and Benin Republic. So, the joint border patrol would be done across its border corridors to prevent criminality and criminals,” he said.
Mohammed added that the Inspector General of Police had directed all Deputy Inspectors General to tour states within their respective zones to engage stakeholders, assess the security situation firsthand, and identify solutions to the operational challenges facing police commands and officers.
He stressed that community policing remains one of the most effective strategies for tackling Nigeria’s current security challenges and called for sustained collaboration between the police and local communities.
