As part of efforts to rid criminals in states across the country, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Muhammed Adamu has deployed 288 officers of Operation Puff Adder to Kogi state.
Receiving the officers Tuesday at Kogi state Police Command Headquarters in Lokoja, Commissioner of Police, Ayuba Edeh, charged the officers to be focused and committed to the operation in order to fish out criminal elements.
The CP said the 288 officers were deployed to Kogi state by the IGP Adamu to face the major security challenges confronting the state.
He said armed robbery, banditry and kidnapping are the major crimes in the state, adding that since last year, the challenges have been reduced drastically as a result of the commitment of the command.
“The major security challenges we have in Kogi state is armed robbery and kidnapping, but in 2020, we were able to bring the challenges down and because of the fight against the criminals in other states that share boundaries with Kogi , some of the hoodlums are now heading to this state.
“We don’t want them to have a safe haven in the state and as such we want all the officers deployed to this state for the purpose of this Operation Puff Adder to be up and doing, and they should be law abiding.
“You are here as a force expected to take care of our borders. Where we have any information of any criminal elements in any part of the state, we will deploy you to the area to clean up the place and ensure that the area is safe,” he said.
He charged the commander of Operation Puff Adder to be proactive in fishing out criminals in the state, adding that the criminal elements will always struggle to be ahead of them in terms of tactics, urging them not to relent in their effort to do their best in order to wipe away the criminals and make the state safe for the people.
“I welcome you to Kogi state police command, and I pray that with the faces I am seeing among the officers, the security challenges we have been facing intermittently about kidnapping here and there will be a thing of the past.
“When you change tactics, the criminals also change their tactics. Therefore, you should make yourselves safe so that at the end of the operation, we will all rejoice,” the CP advised.
