By Olufemi Oni’ Ilorin
Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, has commissioned a new ultra modern model police station at Madi in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, raising optimism that the structure would assist in nipping in the bud recent upsurge in kidnapping cases and other acts of criminality in that axis of the state capital.
It would be recalled that parts of the Ilorin metropolis had recently witnessed attacks by kidnappers, particularly in the Oko Olowo axis where the model Police station is sited.
The IGP, while commissioning the Model Police Station on Tuesday, opined that the edifice would bring policing closer to the people, adding that the structure would be replicated in all the 36 states of the Federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja., as a model.
He said: “The Police would work under a conducive environment in terms of office environment, decent accommodation and that would enable them provide more services. They would be here 24/7. Very close to the office is the house and vice versa. We expect there would be more dedication and more motivation. We expect that service delivery would be enhanced.”
Alkali, who said the new model police station belongs to members of the public, added that the Police station is meant to serve humanity and provide security in the area, calling on stakeholders to support improvement of the station.
In his address, the Kwara state Commissioner of Police, Paul Odama, commended the IGP in the area of promotion, welfare, provision of logistics, discipline, team work, e-policing and digitalisation of policing in the country, while calling for construction of more Police stations in the state.
“The construction of the New Model Police Stations across 36
states of the Federation including the federal capital territory (FCT) is one of the typical examples of the innovation the IGP has brought to bear on the Nigeria Police, in spite of inadequate funding of the Police due to the economic downturn in the country”, he said.
In his speech, Kwara’ll state Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq noted that the state would benefit immensely from the model police station, adding that
more allocation would be made available for all security agencies in the next budget of the state.
He commended the Inspector General of Police and the Police in the state and other security agencies on their untiring efforts at securing the state.