Edo State Command of the Nigerian Police Force has reassured residents of adequate security during and after the yuletide.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Edo State Command, Chidi Nwabuzor, told Journalists in Benin City during the launch of ‘operation show of force’ that adequate measures have been put in place to ensure the protection of lives and property of residents.
The exercise is a joint operation between the police, the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Edo State Security Network, Directorate of the State Security (DSS) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Nwabuzor said the exercise is part of the Command’s confidence building measures ahead of the Christmas and New Year celebrations as well as the forthcoming 2023 General elections, adding that “the security agencies in the state are committed to protecting the lives and property of Edo people during and after the yuletide celebrations.”
He further noted, “This is a joint operation called ‘show of force’. It is an integral mechanism to prevent crime and criminality in the state. We are going round all the major roads, adjoining roads and feeder roads to reassure the people that we are still occupying the space in terms of protecting lives and property. We are, through this exercise, making a bold statement that in this coming yuletide season and even the upcoming general election in 2023, we are battle ready to secure Edo State.”
The Police PRO stated, “It is a continuous exercise and we will be assembling here periodically and going round the major streets and roads to ensure the people we are protecting have confidence in us.
“There is the attitude to work and responsibility to members of the public by the officers and men of Edo State Police Command and other sister security agencies who are occupying the roads in terms of stop and search operations, a measure to recover arms and ammunition, incriminating items, stolen vehicles, among others.
“The heads of the Edo State Police Command and other sister security agencies are on top of the game to ensure that whosoever that errs will be disciplined. We have mechanisms for that.
He added, “In areas outside the main metropolis, officers from the various security agencies are still combing bushes to ensure that kidnapping and other criminal activities are purged from the state in totality.”
