The Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji Usman Baba, has said that the police will deploy the 10,000 newly-recruited constables that passed out from the training school on Thursday to provide security during the 2023 general election.
The police boss disclosed this at the passing out parade of the 2022 batch of police constables in Ilorin, Kwara State on Thursday.
Baba, in an address delivered by the Assistant Inspector General of Police Zone 8 comprising Kwara and Kogi states, Ashafa Adekunle, said, “It is noted that after today’s event, all the graduating recruit constables will be deployed to complement officers on the forthcoming election security duties across the nation, in a bid to ensure a free, fair and credible electoral process.
“This event, which is taking place simultaneously in four premier colleges and police training schools across the country, wraps up six months of highly challenging rigorous, physical and intellectual training activities and it signifies the transition of the recruits into the mainstream professional policing duties with the right orientation to meet emerging security challenges within the dictates of the rule of law.
“It should also be noted that the recruitment was spread over the 774 local government areas of the country with due regard to federal character considerations and in line with the directives of Mr President.”
The IG added that in the attainment of community policing goals, the recruits would all be posted back to their various local government areas to further entrench the policing strategy of the Federal Government towards addressing communal crimes in their respective areas.
He told the new police recruits that the bedrock of policing is discipline, adding that “much as you have a promising and brighter career ahead of you, how far you go in this career depends, to a great extent, on your character, discipline, and integrity.”
Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq, was represented at the event by his Senior Special Assistant on Security, Alhaji Muyideen Aliyu, while the Baba Isale of Ilorin represented the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari.
The state Commissioner of Police, Paul Odama, enjoined the recruits to maintain a high level of discipline and shun corruption.
