The Inspector General of Police, Mr Solomon Arase yesterday said 435 policemen and officers have lost their lives in the past six months to insurgency and other related criminal activities across the country in the last six months.
This is coming even as Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, advocated for a synergy between the Nigerian Police Force and the Department of State Security Services for effective policing of the entire country.
Governor Aregbesola who made the remarks while receiving Mr. Arase, who paid a one day official visit to Osun State, noted that effective policing by both the police and department of security services will greatly enhance the fight against insurgency in the north and put a stop to the recent high rate of kidnappings in the country.
He appealed to both security agencies to realise the need for both of them to work together as this will go a long way in making the country more secured.
While calling on the Nigeria Police to step up their game in the efforts to secure the nation, Ogbeni Aregbesola noted that there can be no civilisation if there is no security in place.
The Inspector General of Police, Mr. Arase, during an interactive session with the State Chapter of Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) members, traditional rulers, civil groups, market men and women and other stakeholders urged members of the communities to be more friendly with the police, saying community policing is a panacea to the eradication of crime in the society.
He explained that there are now more widows and orphans to be taken care of by the police authorities because of the high number of officers that have been lost and solicited more support to the police.
The IGP was accompanied on the visit by the AIG Zone 11, Mrs. Kalafite Adeyemi, and Commissioner of Police, Osun State, Mr. Kola Sodipo.