Police Urge Citizens to Report Crimes

The Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the North Central region, DIG Ishyaku Mohammed, has urged Nigerians to use emergency lines and communication channels to report crimes and criminal activities.

Mohammed made this call on Monday in Lokoja during a meeting with important stakeholders at the Kogi State Police Command.

The meeting included traditional leaders, the Chairman and members of the Police Community Relations Committee, representatives from the National Association of Nigerian Students, the Nigerian Bar Association, youth groups, civil society groups, and NGOs.

"The Nigeria Police Force has provided emergency lines and communication channels. I urge every citizen to make use of them," he said.

DIG Mohammed stated he was in Kogi on behalf of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Rilwan Olatunji Disu, NPM, to discuss issues related to community safety and security.

He emphasized that security is a shared duty, saying the police cannot secure communities alone.

"Security is everybody's business. The police alone cannot secure our communities without the active support and participation of the people.

"This is your state. We will not allow criminals to take over.

"This state belongs to all of us. We cannot and will not surrender it to criminals, kidnappers, armed robbers, cultists, drug traffickers, terrorists, or any other elements that threaten our peace and security. But we cannot achieve this objective alone. We need your support.

"There is no better security strategy than one that includes the people and communities it aims to protect. Every family, every village, every ward, every community, and every institution has a role to play."

He encouraged traditional rulers to stay alert while religious leaders should continue to promote peace and good values.

He added that parents need to pay more attention to their children, youth groups should help in building peace and preventing crime, and community leaders should be the police's eyes and ears.

"Together, we must identify security threats before they escalate into major crises.

"Prevention is always better than reaction.

"Distinguished stakeholders, information remains the most effective weapon against crime.

"The Nigeria Police Force has provided emergency lines and communication channels. I urge every citizen to make use of them.

"There is no useless information.

"A seemingly insignificant piece of information can prevent a kidnapping, stop an armed robbery, disrupt a terrorist attack, or save lives.

"Promptly report suspicious movements and activities.

"Report strange faces and unusual gatherings.

"Expose criminal hideouts.

"Report illegal possession, movement, and sale of firearms.

"Report drug trafficking and drug abuse.

"Report kidnapping threats and all forms of criminal activities," he added.

He also called on communities to reject criminals and their networks, asking residents not to protect offenders.

"Do not shield them because they are your relatives, your friends, or your neighbours," he said, stressing that crime eventually harms the communities that harbor it.

"Anyone who protects criminals becomes an enabler of criminality.

"Communities must collectively reject criminals and deny them safe havens," he noted.