Sallah: IGP orders 24hrs surveillance nationwide •Muslims make last-minute withdrawals

Posted by admin Headlines, Nigerian Police Wednesday, October 24th, 2012

IN order to ensure a peaceful and incident-free sallah celebration, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar, has directed all Assistant Inspector Generals (AIGs) in the zones and state command commissioners of police to take adequate measures to ensure the provision of water-tight security across the country before, during and after the celebration.

Consequently, he has directed all commissioners of police (CPs) to personally ensure that key and vulnerable points, all places of worship, recreation centres, resorts and other public places are adequately and effectively protected.

The IGP, in his sallah message to all Nigerians, further directed commanders of police highway patrol teams to ensure that motorised patrols on all the highways targeted at crime and accident prevention are intensified to ensure a safe, secure and peaceful celebration.

He further ordered that policemen deployed on the highways should render assistance to travellers and road users, especially accident victims and those who might have suffered vehicular breakdown.

Similarly, he added, all AIGs in the zones and CPs have been advised to ensure the provision of 24 hours security around all government installations, facilities and other related vulnerable targets.

He warned officers who will be deployed during the period to ensure that they comport themselves within the confines of the law as they must be firm but polite, civil and professional in the discharge of their assigned roles, giving due regard and respect to the fundamental human rights of citizens at all times.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory, Ade Shinaba, has advised all residents of Abuja to ignore rumours and threats of attack by unknown gunmen during the Eid-el-Kabir celebration.

Addressing newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday, he said that the FCT command has mounted 24 hours secret strategy security in all nooks and crannies of the FCT so as to give residents of Abuja a crime-free sallah celebration.

According to him, the 75 new patrol vehicles provided by the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, to the police had in no small measure given the police an enabling environment for the police to operate optimally.

He said there was police visibility all over the FCT and this has helped to reduce crime to the barest minimum in the city.

The police commissioner said only on Tuesday night, a gang of armed robbers, with automatic English pistols with masks which they use for operations, was apprehended after a gun battle with the police in Wuse area of Abuja.

Meanwhile, bank customers across Lagos, on Wednesday, besieged various banking halls to effect cash withdrawals, apparently in preparation for the Eid-el-Kabir festival.

Queues had begun to build up in most of the branches visited by Nigerian Tribune as early as 7.00 a.m. The security guards on duty who had predicted the development were seen conducting the customers.

At Zenith Bank, Ikorodu, officials of the bank were deployed to the banking hall to advise customers to use the alternative electronic payment channels, which of course fell on deaf ears.

At FirstBank, Ikotun branch, all the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) points which were all dispensing cash helped to control the surging customers.

Meanwhile, the naira strengthened slightly against the dollar on the interbank market on Wednesday, supported by dollar sales by a unit of ExxonMobil and some offshore investors buying local debt.

The naira closed at N157.30 to the dollar on the interbank market, firmer than the N157.35 to the dollar it closed at the previous day.

Traders said Mobil Nigeria, a unit of ExxonMobil, sold $58.3 million to some banks, while flows from offshore investors buying treasury bills also provided support for the naira.

“Demand for dollars remained strong in the market, but dollar flows have continued to help reduce the pressure,” one dealer said.

Dealers said many importers had taken advantage of cheaper dollar prices to bring forward their foreign exchange obligations, which would curb any further rises in the local unit from more dollar sales going forward.

-Sunwp_posts