… set to purchase gunboats, others
By Valentine Amanze
Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has unveiled a new Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) for the state Police Command.
The APC is the second procured within one-year to retool the state’s Police Command, amid several other initiatives rolled out to fortify the state’s security architecture.
Handing over the APC to the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Johnson Kokumo, at the Government House in Benin City, Governor Obaseki said that government was determined to secure life and property in the state and will deploy resources at its disposal.
Obaseki explained: “It is a holistic approach to strengthen security in the state.
“The security architecture will involve equipment like APC, police patrol vehicles, protective gears, other security devices. There will also be training of police personnel and equipping them with motor bikes to fight crime.”
He explained that in addition to the APC, the state has concluded plans to procure gunboats, helicopters for surveillance.
“The APC is one among other equipment we have procured as we fortify the state’s security due for launch soon.”
Obaseki said that high speedboats would be acquired for the Marine Police, to provide adequate security on the waterways and riverine communities in the state.
“We have spent lots of resources to ensure our state is safe, as we encourage the people to be part of the security architecture, from intelligence gathering to serving as first responder in the event of any incident. There will be call-centres which will serve as a control centre for people to call-in when they are faced with a security threat.”
Commissioner of Police, Edo State, Mr. Johnson Kokumo, commended governor Obaseki for his effort in ensuring that the state is safe and secure for all, noting that the newly acquired APC can be deployed to any terrain.
He noted that adequate arrangements were on ground to ensure that equipment donated to the Police by the governor were maintained, especially the APC.
Kokumo said, “The first APC donated to the Police by Obaseki has been deployed to King Square in Benin City since November 2017 to check crimes in the area and its environs.”
According to him, the Police Command will deploy a Police helicopter to patrol the state, adding that through these measures, there will be no hiding place for criminals.
